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A 

HISTORY 

OF THE 

STATE OF NEW , YORK, 

FROM THE 

FIRST DISCOVERY OF THE COUNTRY 

TO THE 

PRESENT TIME: 

WITH A 

GEOGRAPHICAL ACCOUNT OF THE COUNTRY, 

AND A 

VIEW OF ITS ORIGINAL INHABITANTS. 



BY F. S. EASTMAN. 



NEW YORK : 

AUGUSTUS K. WHITE. 
1831. 







SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK, SS. 

Be it remembered, That on the twentieth day of Octotjer, A. D. 1828, in the fifty- 
third year of the Independence of the United States of America, James Conner, of 
the said district, has deposited in this office the title of a book, the right whereof he 
claims as proprietor, in the words following, to wit .- 

" A History of the State of New York, from the First Discovery of the Country to the 
Present Time." 

In conformity to the act of the Congress of the United States, entitled, " An Act for 
the encouragement of learning, by securing the copies of maps, charts, and books, to the 
authors and proprietors of such copies, during the times therein mentioned ;" and also to 
an act, entitled, " An Act supplementary to an act, entitled, 'An Act for the encourage- 
nient of learning, by securing the copies of maps, charts, and books, to the authors 
and proprietors of such copies, during the times therein mentioned ; and extending tbe 
benefits thereof to the arts of designing, engraving, and etching historical and other 
prints.' " 

FRED. J. BETTS, 
Clerk of the Southern District of J^evo York. 




PREFACE. 



The object of the present volume is to furnish 
a brief outhne of the natural, civil and statisti- 
cal history of the state of New York. The 
want of a work of this kind has long been deep- 
ly felt, and universally acknowledged. An im- 
perfect attempt to supply this defect was made 
in the first edition of this work ; but the pre- 
scribed limits of that publication were found to 
be, in a great measure, inadequate to the object. 

Since the publication of the first edition, the 
work has undergone many important alterations, 
which, it is hoped, will be considered as im- 
provements. It has been increased to near 
twice its original size by extensive additions, 
consisting chiefly of more particular details of 
the most interesting events. The whole has 
been carefully revised, and no effort spared to 
render it worthy of the public favor. 

In obtaining materials for the different depart- 
ments of this work, the compiler has had recourse 
to a great variety of sources, as will be seen by 
the references and the catalogue of authorities. 
In some instances, the author has introduced 



8 CATALOGUE OF AUTHORS. 

Journal of the Senate and Assembly of the State of New York, 
from 1777 to 1810, inclusive, being 33 sessions. — vols. fol. Fishkill, 
New York, Poughkeepsie, Albany. 

Williams (Samuel), Natural and Civil History of Vermont. 8vo. 
2 vols. Burlington, 1809. 

Robertson (William), History of America. 8vo. 3 vols. Basil, 
1790. 

Adams (Hannah), History of New England. 8vo. Dedham, 1799. 

Brackenridge (H. M.), History of the late War between the United 
States and Great Britain. 12rao. Baltimore, 1818. 

Bradford (Alden), History of Massachusetts, from 1764 to 1789. 
8vo. 2 vols. Boston, 1825. 

Thacher (James), Military Journal during the American Revolu- 
tionary War, from 1775 to 1783. 8vo. Boston, 1823. 

Trumbull (Benjamin), History of Connecticut from 1630 to 1764, 
and to the Close of the Indian War. 8vo. 2 vols. New Haven, 
1818. 

Vermont State Papers, compiled by W. Slade, Secretary of State, 
8vo. Middlebury, 1823. 

SpafFord (H. G.), Gazetteer of the State of New York. 8vo. 
Albany, 1813 and 1824. 

Adair (James), History of the American Indians. 4to. London, 
1775. 

Morse (Jedidiah), American Universal Geography. 8vo. 2 vols. 
Boston, 1819. 

Godman (J. D.), American Natural History. 8vo. 3 vols. Phil- 
adelphia. 

Dwight ( ), Travels in New York and the New England 

States. 8vo. 3 vols. 

Biography of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence. 
8vo. 8 vols. Philadelphia. 

Allen (William), American Biographical and Historical Dictionary. 
Bvo. Cambridge, 1809. 

Lavoisne (M.), Atlas, Carey's American edition, fol. Phila- 
delphia, 1820. 

Lempriere's Universal Biography, Lord's American edition, with 
additional American Biography. 8vo. 2 vols. New York, 1825. 

Worcester (J. E.), Geographical Dictionary, or Universal Gazet- 
teer. 8vo 2 vols. Boston. 1823. 

Delaplaine s Repository. 4to. Philadelphia. 

Hoosac (David), Memoir of De Witt Clinton, with an Appendix. 
4to. New York, 1829. 

Goodrich (Charles A.), Biography of the Signers of the Declara- 
tion of Independence. 

History of the United States. Boston, 1827. 

Haines (Charles G.), Memoir of Thomas Addis Emmet. New 
York, 1829. 



CONTENTS. 



Preface, 3 

CHAP. I. 

NATURAL GEOGRAPHY. 

Boundaries. Situation and Extent. Climate. Face of the Country 
Mountains. Soil and Productions. Rivers. Lakes. Islands.... Ijt 

CHAP. H. 

NATURAL GEOGRAPHY — CONTINUED. 

Mineralogy. Salt Springs. Medicinal Waters. Botany. Natural 
Curiosities 2d 

CHAP. m. 

NATURAL GEOGRAPHY — CONTINUED. 

J^ative Animals. 

Mastodon. Moose. Bear. Wolf. Cougar. Wolverene. Catamount. 
Wildcat. Raccoon. Marten. Deer. Fox. Hare. Rabbit. Por- 
cupine. Woodchuck. Skunk. Weasel. Squirrel. Mouse. Er- 
mine. Beaver. Musk-Rat. Mink. Otter. Fish. Birds. Insects. 
Serpents and Reptiles 35 

CHAP. IV. 

VIEW or THE COUNTRY AT THE TIME OF ITS DISCOVERY BY HUDSON. 

State of the Country. Aborigines. Religion and Superstitions. Iro- 
quois. Their Confederacy. Antiquities. Inference. Their Au- 
thors, and Origin of the Indian Race 60 

CHAP. V. 

DISCOVERY AND SETTLEMENT. 

Discoveries of Columbus and the Cabots. Great River discovered and 
explored by Hudson. Champlain's Expedition. Hudson detained in 
England. Dutch trade to the Great River. Licensed Trading 
Company. First Settlement. West India Company. New Nether- 
land. First Governor. Van Twiller's Administration. Kieft. Stuy- 
vesant. New Netherland surrendered to the English 78 



10 CONTENTS. 

CHAP. VI. 

FROM 1665 TO 1710. 

Administration of Nichols. Lovelace. New York retaken by the 
Dutch, and soon after restored to the English. Andros. Dongan. 
Revolution. Leisler. Sloughter. Beliomont. War with the 
French, &c 98 

CHAP. VH. 

FROM 1710 TO 1743. 

Hunter's Administration. Expedition against Canada. Administra- 
tion of Burnet, Montgomery, Crosby and Clarke 121 

CHAP. vni. 

FROM 1743 TO 1760. 

George Clinton appointed Governor. War with France. Expedition 
against Louisburg. Incursions of the French and Indians. Opera- 
tions of the War in 1746. Capture of the French Fleet. Indian 
Depredations. Termination of the War. Osborne appointed Gov- 
ernor, dies, and is succeeded by Delancey. Hostilities again com- 
menced with the French. Colonial Convention. Hardy appointed 
Governor. Colonies prosecute the War 134 

CHAP. IX. 

CONTINUATION OF THE FRENCH WAR. 

Formal Declaration of War. Campaign of 1756, and Capture of Os- 
wego. Campaign of 1757, and Capture of Fort William Henry. 
Expedition against Ticonderoga. Capture of Fort Frontenac. Cam- 
paign of 1759. Surrender of Ticonderoga and Crown Point. Cap- 
ture of Niagara. Wolfe's Expedition against Quebec. War termi- 
nated in 1760 by the entire Conquest of Canada 154 

CHAP. X. 

FROM 1760 TO 1775. 

Prospects of the Colony. Controversy relative to the New Hampshire 
Grants. Opposition from the Settlers. Stamp Act. Congress at 
New York. Disturbances occasioned by the Stamp Act. Stamp 
Act repealed. Assembly restrained. Further Attempts to tax the 
Colonies. Controversy with the Grants become serious. Parties 
prevented from proceeding to Hostilities by the Controversy with 
Grea-t Britain 176 



CONTENTS. 11 

CHAP. XI. 

COMMENCEMENT OF THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 

Origin of the Controversy with Great Britain. State of Affairs in the 
Colony. Convention appoints Delegates to the Provincial Congress. 
War breaks out at Lexington. Disturbances in New York. Cap- 
ture of Ticonderoga and Cro^^^n Point. Governor Tryon arrives. 
Expedition against Canada. Surrender of Chambly, St. John's and 
Montreal. Montgomery appears before Quebec. His Death. In- 
habitants of Tryon County disarmed. Provincial Troops enter 
New York. Americans evacuate Canada. Declaration of Inde- 
pendence 195 

CHAP. XII. 

THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. FROM 1776 TO 1778. 

Disposition of British and American Troops at New York. Battle on 
Long Island. Americans evacuate New York. Americans continue 
to retreat. Fort Washington taken by the British. Operations on 
Lake Champlain. Convention adopt the State Constitution. 
Commencement of the Northern Campaign in 1777. Invasion of 
Burgoyne. His Capture. Enterprise of Clinton. State Govern- 
ment organized. . . ^ 216 

CHAP. XIII. 

REVOLUTIONARY WAR — CONTINUED TO ITS TERMINATION. 

Legislative Proceedings. Revival of Controversy relative to the Grants. 
Treaty of Alliance with France. British Army concentrated at New 
York. French Fleet arrives. Campaign of 1779. Operations at 
Stony Point and Verplanck's. Expedition against the Indians. 
Campaign of 1780. Depredations of the Royal Army. Arnold's 
Treachery. Campaign of 1781. Capture of Cornwallis. Indepen- 
dence acknowledged. British evacuate New York, and the Americans 
take Possession. Army disbanded 249 

CHAP. XIV. 

FROM 1783 TO 1812. 

Condition of the Country at the Close of the War. Organization of 
the general Government. Internal Concerns of the State. Settle- 
ment of the Vermont Controversy. Agriculture, Arts, Manufac- 
tures and Commerce. Civil Policy. Attention of the Legislature 
directed to the Subject of internal Navigation. 296 



12 CONTENTS. 



CHAP. XV. 

WAR WITH GREAT BRITAIN. 

War declared. Preparation for the Invasion of Canada. Battle of 
Queenstown. Capture of York and Fort George. Operations on 
the Lakes. Battles of Bridgewater, Chippewa and Plattsburg. 
Termination of the War. Commencement and Completion of the 
Northern and Erie Canals 307 

GENERAL VIEWS. 

Constitution and Laws. Political Divisions. Cities and Villages 
Agriculture, Manufactures, Commerce, Canals. Banks. Militia. 
Education. Literary Institutions. Religion. Population. Char- 
acter 326 

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 

Sketches of the Lives and Characters of some distinguished Men in 
the Colony and State of New York 369 

APPENDIX. 

No. I. Declaration of Independence 423 

No. II. Treatment of American Prisoners by the British 431 

No. III. Constitution of the United States 433 

No. IV. Progress of Settlements 448 

No. V. List of the Governors and Lieutenant-Governors of the Colony 
and State of New York, with the Time of their Appointments. . . .443 



HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 



CHAP. I. 

NATURAL, GEOGRAPHY. 

Boundaries, Situation and Extent, Climate, 
Face of the Country. Mountains, Soil and 
Productions, Rivers, Lakes, Islands, 

Sec. I. Boundaries, New York is bounded 
by Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Long Island 
sound, on the south ; Connecticut, Massachu- 
setts, Vermont, and lake Champlain, on the 
east ; Lower Canada, the St. Lawrence, lake 
Ontario, Niagara river, lake Erie, and Pennsyl- 
vania, on the north and west. 

Sec. IL Situation and Extent, This state is 
situated between lat. 40^ 40^ and 45° north, and 
between long. 73° and 79° 55^ west. The length 
of the state, on the parallel of 42°, is 340 miles, 
and the greatest breadth, from north to south, 
304. It contains, exclusive of islands, about 
45,000 square miles. It is one of the largest of 
the United States, and the only one which, ex- 
tends from the x4tlantic to the western lakes. 

Sec. III. Climate, New York, extending 
through more than four degrees of latitude, pre- 
sents a considerable diversity of climate. It is 
cold in the north, towards the St. Lawrence; 



14 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

but milder in the south-east, and in the country 
lying on the shore of lake Ontario. The great- 
est range of the thermometer is from 24P below 
to 95° above the cipher of Fahrenheit. 

The climate of the counties between lake Ontario and 
Pennsylvania is much warmer than that of those farther east 
in the same latitude. The earliest forest trees in this trctct 
put forth their leaves about the first of May ; and the oak and 
other late trees by the 20th. 

The shallow ponds and brooks usually freeze in October, 
and snow commonly falls by the last of November, but seldom 
during the winter exceeds a foot in depth. Cattle are some- 
times kept in pastures till January, and on the Genesee flats 
nearly the whole winter. 

The fever and ague is the most common disease through- 
out the state. It prevails on the Hudson, lake Champlain, 
on the Mohawk and>the St. Lawrence, on the Chenango and 
the Oswego, on the Genesee and the Niagara. This disease 
is, however, becoming less frequent than formerly, and in 
many places, where, but a few years since, its prevalence was 
severely felt, it now very seldom occurs. 

The country between Pennsylvania and lake Ontario is the 
most unhealthy part of the state. Malignant bilious fevers 
are common, and prove extremely prejudicial to strangers. 
This is particularly true on the banks of the Genesee, and on 
the low lands in the vicinity of the lakes. They sometimes 
occur between the Champlain and the St. Lawrence. 

Sec. IV. Face of the Country. The face of 
the country exhibits an interesting variety, but 
is less mountainous than many other parts of 
America. The Catskill mountains, in the east- 
ern part of the state, are the principal range. 
The western part generally presents a level, or 
moderately undulating surface. 

The south-eastern part of the state, particularly between 
the Hudson and Chenango, may be characterized as moun- 



NATURAL GEOGRAPHY. 15 

tainous. A narrow tract near the Pennsylvania line is gener- 
ally hilly. From this to lake Ontario, the country is mostly 
level, and contains no elevation deserving the name of a 
mountain. 

The north-western part of the state, between lakes Erie 
and Ontario, presents a remarkable singularity of surface. 
Lake Erie is more than 300 feet above lake Ontario, and the 
country around proportionably higher. The descent towards 
Jake Ontario is not irregular and imperceptible, but is made 
by three successive pitches, or steeps, with a wide interval of 
level land between them. 

The upper or southern pitch commences at Buffalo, at the 
mouth of lake Erie, and runs north of east, stretching round 
the mouth of Canandaigua lake to the west side of the Sene- 
ca ; thence south to the high grounds of the Tioga. 

The middle pitch commences at the Falls of Niagara, and, 
after an eastern course of about 50 miles, takes a southerly 
direction to the Genesee ; thence north of the Seneca, Cay- 
uga, Skeneateles and Otisco lakes, and in an eastern direction 
to the hills, from whose southern declivities flow the Chenan- 
go and Unadilla. 

The northern or lower pitch branches from the middle ona 
near the Eighteen Mile Run, (a stream which empties eighteen 
miles east of the Niagara,) and, diverging northward, proceeds, 
with a progress sometimes indistinct, to the lower falls of the 
Genesee ; thence eastward to the falls of the Oswego, 12 miles 
from its mouth. 

The north-eastern part of the state is generally hilly ; and 
the height of land between Champlain and the St. Law- 
rence presents a range of mountains of considerable eleva- 
tion. A tract about 30 miles wide, on the banks of the St. 
Lawrence, is uneven. At that distance, it becomes rough and 
broken. 

Sec. Y. Soil and Productions, The soil of 
New York is generally fertile, and well adapted 
to the purposes of agriculture. The country 
between the Seneca and Cayuga lakes, the val- 



16 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

ley of the Chenango, the extensive flats of the 
Genesee, and the lands along Black river, in 
richness of soil, are second, perhaps, to none in 
America. 

West of the Genesee, the soil is less uniformly good. 
That near lake Ontario is the best. An extensive tract, in 
the eastern part of the state, including the counties of Rens- 
selaer, Columbia, Greene, Schoharie, Albany and Schenectady 
is but indifferent. The country along the Mohawk, west of 
the Oneida village, is very rich. The plains of Herkimer 
have long been justly celebrated for their fertility. 

Wheat is the most important production, and 
is extensively cultivated throughout the state. 
It is raised on the flats of the Genesee with un- 
paralleled facility, and in quality surpassed by 
none. 

Many parts of the state are well adapted to grazing. 
Maize, rye and barley are generally cultivated with success. 
In the counties south-east of the Chenango, the hills are 
covered with fine timber, and, when cleared, afford excellent 
pasture. The intervening valleys produce grass and the 
various kinds of grain in abundance. 

Sec. VI. Rivers. This state contains many 
noble streams, and is watered by some of the 
most celebrated rivers of America. On the Avest- 
ern and northern boundaries are the Niagara 
and the St. Lawrence. The Allegany, Susque- 
hannah and Delaware rise in the south part of 
the state. The western part contains the Gen- 
esee, Oswego and Black rivers ; and the eastern 
part the Saranac, Hudson and Mohawk. 

The Niagara river is the outlet of lake Erie, and runs north 
about 30 miles to lake Ontario, embracing Grand and Navy 
islands, and receiving the Tonnewanta creek from the east. 



NATURAL GEOGRAPHY. 17 

Three miles from lake Erie, it is 7 furlongs in width, and its 
average depth 21 feet, with a current of 6 miles an hour. 

Eighteen miles from lake Erie, are the celebrated Falls of 
Niagara. For a mile above the great pitch, the bed of the 
river sinks gradually 57 feet, causing grand and fearful rapids. 
It is then suddenly depressed,- forming a precipice of about 
160 feet from bank to bank. On the brink of the precipice 
is a small island, which divides the stream, and presents, for 
150 yards, a perpendicular front of rock, fragments of which 
lie in confusion at its base. 

" The form of the falls is that of an irresfular semicircle, 
about three quarters of a mile in extent. This is divided 
into two distinct cascades by the intervention of Goat island, 
the extremity of which is perpendicular, and in a line with the 
precipice, over which the water is projected. The cataract 
on the Canada side of the river is called the Horseshoe, or 
Great Fall, from its peculiar form ; and that next the United 
States, the American Fall. 

Three extensive views of the falls may be obtained from 
three different places. In general, the first opportunity trav- 
ellers have of seeing the cataract is from the high-road, which, 
at one point, lies near the bank of the river. This place, 
hoY/ever, being considerably above the level of the falls, and 
a good way beyond them, affords a view that is comparatively 
imperfect and unimposing. 

The Table Rock, from which the Falls of the Niagara 
may be contemplated in all their grandeur, lies on an exact 
level with the edge of the cataract on the Canada side, and, 
indeed, forms a part of the precipice, over which the water 
rushes. It derives its name from the circumstance of its 
projecting beyond the cliffs that support it, like the leaf of a 
table. To gain this position, it is necessary to descend a 
steep bank, and to follow a path that winds among shrub- 
bery and trees, which entirely conceal from the eye the scene 
that awaits him who traverses it. 

When near the termination of this road, a few steps carried 
me beyond all these obstructions, and a magnificent amphi- 
theatre of cataracts burst upon my view with appalling sud- 

2* 



18 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

denness and majesty. However, in a moment, the scene was 
concealed from my eyes by a dense cloud of spray, which 
involved me so completely that I did not dare to extricate 
myself 

A mingled and thundering rushing filled my ears. I could 
see nothing, except when the wind made a chasm in the 
spray, and then tremendous cataracts seemed to encompass me 
on every side ; while, below, a raging and foamy gulf, of 
undiscoverable extent, lashed the rocks with its hissing 
waves, and swallowed, under a horrible obscurity, the smok- 
ing floods that were precipitated into its bosom. 

At first, the sky was obscured by clouds ; but, after a few 
minutes, the sun burst forth, and the breeze, subsiding at 
the same time, permitted the spray to ascend perpendicularly. 
A host of pyramidal clouds rose majestically, one after anoth- 
er, from the abyss at the bottom of the fall ; and each, when 
it had ascended a little above the edge of the cataract, dis- 
played a beautiful rainbow, which, in a few moments, was 
gradually transferred into the bosom of the cloud that imme- 
diately succeeded. 

The spray of the Great Fall had extended itself through a 
wide space directly over me, and, receiving the full influence 
of the sun, exhibited a luminous and magnificent rainbow, 
which continued to overarch and irradiate the spot on which 
I stood, while I enthusiastically contemplated the indescribable 
scene. 

Any person, who has nerve enough, may plunge his hand 
into the water of the Great Fall, after it is projected over the 
precipice, merely by lying down flat, with his face beyond the 
edge of the Table Rock, and stretching out his arm to its ut- 
most extent. The experiment is truly a horrible one, and 
such as I would not wish to repeat ; for, even to this day, I 
feel a shuddering and recoiling sensation, when I recollect 
having been in the posture above described. 

The body of water, which composes the middle part of the 
Great Fall, is so immense, that it descends nearly two thirds 
of the space without being ruffled or broken ; and the solemn 
calmness, with which it rolls over the edge of the precipice, 
is finely contrasted with the pertur'^ed appearance it assumes 



NATURAL GEOGRAPHY. 19 

after having reached the gulf below. But the water, towards 
each side of the fall, is shattered the moment it drops over the 
rock, and loses, as it descends, in a great measure, the char- 
acter of a fluid, being divided into pyramidal-shaped frag- 
ments, the bases of which are turned upwards. 

The surface of the gulf, below the cataract, presents a very 
singular aspect ; seeming, as it were, filled with an immense 
quantity of hoar frost, which is agitated by small and rapid 
undulations. The particles of water are dazzlingly white, 
and do not apparently unite together, as might be supposed, 
but seem to continue for a time in a state of distinct commi- 
nution, and to repel each other with a thrilling and shivering 
motion, which cannot easily be described. 

The road to the bottom of the fall presents many more 
difficulties than that which leads to the Table Rock. After 
leaving the Table Rock, the traveller must proceed down the 
river nearly half a mile, where he will come to a small chasm 
in the bank, in which there is a spiral staircase, enclosed in a 
wooden building. By descending the stair, which is seventy 
or eighty feet perpendicular height, he will find himself under 
the precipice, on the top of which he formerly walked. A 
high but sloping bank extends from its base to the edge of 
the river, and on the summit of this there is a narrow, 
slippery path, covered with angular fragments of rock, which 
leads to the Great Fall. 

The impending clifis, hung with a profusion of trees and 
brush-wood, overarch the road, and seem to vibrate with the 
thunders of the cataract. In some places, they rise abruptly 
to the height of one hundred feet, and display upon their sur- 
faces fossil shells, and the organic remains of a former world ; 
thus sublimely leading the mind to contemplate the convul- 
sions which nature has undergone since the creation. 

As the traveller advances, he is frightfully stunned by the 
appalling noise ; clouds of spray sometimes envelope him, and 
suddenly check his faltering steps ; rattlesnakes start from the 
cavities of the rocks; and the scream of eagles, soaring 
among the whirlwinds of eddying vapor, which obscure the 
gulf of the cataract, at intervals, announces that the raging 



20 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

waters have hurled some bewildered animal over the precipice. 
After scrambling among piles of huge rocks that obstruct his 
way, the traveller gains the bottom of the fall, where the soul 
can be susceptible only of one emotion — that of uncontrollable 
terror. 

It was not until I had, by frequent excursions to the falls, 
in some measure familiarized my mind with their sublimities, 
that I ventured to explore the recesses of the Great Cataract. 
The precipice over which it rolls is very much arched under- 
neath, while the impetus, which the water receives in its 
descent, projects it far beyond the cliff; and thus an immense 
Gothic arch is formed by the rock and the torrent. Twice I 
entered this cavern, and twice I was obliged to retrace my 
steps, lest I should be suffocated by the blast of dense spray 
that whirled around me : however, the third time, I succeed- 
ed in advancing about twenty-five yards. * 

Hence darkness began to encircle me. On one side, the 
black cliff stretched itself into a gigantic arch far above my 
head, and, on the other, the dense and hissing torrent formed 
an impenetrable sheet of foam, with which I was drenched in 
a moment. The rocks were so slippery, that I could hardly 
keep my feet, or hold securely by them ; while the horrid din 
made me think the precipices above were tumbling down in 
colossal fragments upon my head. 

A little way below the Great Fall, the river is, compara- 
tively speaking, so tranquil, that a ferry-boat plies between 
the Canada and American shores, for the convenience of 
travellers. When I first crossed, the heaving flood tossed 
about the si: iff with a violence that seemed very alarming ; 
but, as soon as we gained the middle of the river, my atten- 
tion was altogether engaged by the surpassing grandeur of the 
scene before me. 

I was now within the area of a semicircle of cataracts more 
than three thousand feet in extent, and floated on the surface 
of a gulf, raging, fathomless, and interminable. Majestic 
cliffs, splendid rainbows, lofty trees, and columns of spray, 
were the gorgeous decorations of this theatre of wonders ; 
while a dazzling sun shed refulgent glories upon every part 



NATURAL GEOGRAPHY. 21 

of the scene. — Surrounded with clouds of vapor, and stunned 
into a state of confusion and terror by the hideous noise, I 
looked upwards to the height of one hundred and fifty feet, 
and saw vast floods, dense, awful, and stupendous, vehement- 
ly bursting over the precipice, and rolling down, as if the 
windows of heaven were opened to pour another deluge upon 
the earth. 

Loud sounds, resembling discharges of artillery or volcanic 
explosions, were now distinguishable amidst the watery tu? 
mult, and added terrors to the abyss from which they issued. 
The sun, looking majestically through the ascending, spray, 
was encircled by a radiant halo ; while fragments of rainbows 
floated on every side, and momentarily vanished, only to give 
place to a succession of others more brilliant. 

Looking backwards, I saw the Niagara river again become 
calm and tranquil, rolling majestically between the towering 
cliffs, that rose on either side. A gentle breeze ruffled the 
waters, and beautiful birds fluttered around, as if to welcome 
its egress from those clouds, and thunders, and rainbows, 
which were the heralds of its precipitation into the abyss of 
the cataract."* 

The quantity of water passing the falls is estimated at 
670,255 tons per minute, and the width of the stream, includ- 
ing the island, at 1410 yards. The channel on the American 
side of the island is the widest, and has the greatest perpen- 
dicular descent ; though four fifths, and perhaps a still larger 
proportion, of the waters pass on the Canadian side. 

The depth of the river beneath the fall is probably far 
greater than its height ; since the tallest trees, descending 
perpendicularly, are lost for several minutes beneath the 
water, before they reappear. The banks of the river below 
are on both sides perpendicular, of solid rock, and of the 
same height with the falls. They continue about the same 
height 7 miles to Clueenstown. 

The St. Lawrence is the outlet of lake Ontario, and, for a 
considerable distance, constitutes the northern boundary of 
New York. If considered as rising at the source of the St. 

* Howison. 



22 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

Louis, it is 2000 miles in length, and, in its quantity of water, 
surpassed by no river in North America. 

The Hudson rises in the northern part of the state, between 
lake Champlain and the St. Lawrence, and runs south 250 
miles to the Atlantic. It is navigable for ships 130 miles to 
Hudson, and for sloops 36 miles farther, to Troy. The tide 
in this river flows 160 miles. 

The Mohawk rises in the northern part of Oneida county, 
8 miles from Black river. Its course is south of east 150 
miles to the Hudson. It runs in a deep ravine, and is wild 
and impetuous. There is generally along its banks a vale of 
rich soil, but, in many places, spurs from the neighbouring 
hills project themselves to the shore of the river. 

The chief tributaries of the Mohawk, from the north, are 
Great and Little Canada creeks. The former empties at Her- 
kimer, and the latter 13 miles below. They run in deep ravines, 
are long, rapid and unnavigable. On the south, the Scho- 
harie, descending from the Catskill mountains, rolls north- 
ward with the impetuosity of a torrent, and joins the Mohawk 
at Fort Hunter. 

The Genesee rises in Pennsylvania, and pursues a northerly 
course of 120 miles to lake Ontario. It has several interest- 
ing cataracts. At Rochester is a perpendicular descent of 
D6 feet. In spring, this river is a torrent ; in autumn, it is 
nearly dry. 

The Oswego is formed by the union of the Oneida and 
Seneca rivers, and runs north-west 45 miles to lake Ontario. 
Throujih the Oneida river, it receives the waters of the lake 
of that name, and through the Seneca river the waters of the 
Seneca, Cayuga, Owasco, Skeneateles and Otisco lakes. 
The courses of these branches are very irregular. 

"Black river heads near the sources of Great Canada creek, 
and runs south-west 20 miles. There, bending north-north-west, 
in about the same distance, it receives Moose creek from the 
east. As they unite, they rush over a precipice, 63 feet 
perpendicular, into a broad basin. Hence it flows, a broad and 
quiet stream, 42 miles in the same direction ; when, passing an 
inconsiderable fall, it turns west by south, and, after a course of 



NATURAL GEOGRAPHY. 23 

25 miles, empties into Black River bay, an arm of Chaumont 
bay, near the outlet of lake Ontario."* 

The Oswegatchie, and several other considerable rivers, fall 
into the St. Lawrence. 

"Racket river rises near the Hudson, and at first runs 
north-east. It has a portage of one mile to Moose creek, and 
of one and one half miles to the Hudson. After passing 
through three considerable lakes, the lowest of which is forty 
miles from its source, it runs north-west fifty miles, and wi 
this distance has more than twenty falls and rapids ; some of 
which are twenty, others forty, and one one hundred and fifty 
feet high. In this distance, it is generally one hundred yards 
broad ; but in one place only five feet. Turning again to the 
north-east, it has a gentle current for thirty miles to the St. 
Lawrence."* 

Big Chazy, Saranac and Sable rivers fall into lake Cham- 
plain. The Chenango and Tioga are branches of the Susque- 
hannah. Cataraugus and Buffalo creeks are considerable 
streams falling into lake Erie. The Tonnewanta, after a 
course of 40 miles, falls into the Niagara. It is navigable 
for boats 28 miles. 

Sec. VII. Lakes. Erie, Ontario and Cham- 
plain, each form a part of the boundary of New 
York. In the interior are several lakes inferior 
in size, but generally adapted to the purposes of 
internal navigation. Oneida, Seneca and Cay- 
uga are among the most important. 

Lake Erie is 200 miles long, and 710 in circumferejice. 
It contains a large number of islands, and abounds with fish. 
It is of more 'dangerous navigation than the others, on account 
of the rocks, which project into the water, for many miles 
together, from the northern shore, affording no shelter from 
storms, which, at some seasons, are very frequent. 

liake Ontario is of an oval form, about 160 miles in length, 
and 450 in circumference. Its banks are, in many places 
precipitous. The southern shore is covered principally with 

"^ Morse. 



24 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

beech trees, and the soil appears fertile. This lake abounds 
with several varieties of fish. *' It receives the waters of the 
Genesee river from the south, and of Onondaga, at fort Os- 
wego, from the south-east, by which it communicates, through 
lake Oneida and Wood creek, with the Mohawk and Hudson 
rivers. On the north-east, this lake discharges itself through 
the river Cataraqui (which at Montreal takes the name of the 
St. Lawrence) into the Atlantic ocean. ' It is asserted, that 
these lakes fill once in seven years, and that 1794 was the 
year when they would be full; but, as we are unacquainted 
with any laws of nature, by which this periodical effect should 
be produced, we may with propriety doubt the fact.' "* The 
great depth of these waters constitutes one of their most 
distinguishing characteristics. The bottom of Ontario, Erie, 
and the other large lakes connected with them, is found to be 
below the surface of the Atlantic ocean. — Lake Champlain, 
on the eastern boundary, is 100 miles in length, and from 1 
to 25 in breadth. 

Lake George is 37 miles long, and from 1 to 7 broad. On 
each side it is skirted by lofty mountains. Its banks are un- 
commonly handsome, and the water so transparent, that the 
bottom is visible at almost any depth. It embosoms more 
than 200 beautiful islands, most of which are covered with 
groves of pine, cedar and hemlock. It falls into lake Cham- 
plain by a channel 3 miles in length, during which its waters 
descend more than 100 feet. * 

Oneida lake is 20 miles long, and 5 broad. From the south, 
it receives the waters of Cazenovia lake through the Chitte- 
ningo. 

Seneca lake is 40 miles long, and from 2 to 3 wide. Its 
outlet, the Syracuse, runs north of east 12 miles, and falls 
into Cayuga lake near its mouth. Crooked lake is 15 miles 
long, and from 1 to 2 wide. A short stream connects it 
with the Seneca. 

Cayuga lake is 40 miles long, and from 2 to 4 broad. 
Onondaga, or Salt lake, is 6 miles long, and 1 broad. On 
the south-west, it receives the waters of the Otisco by a stream 
16 miles long, and at the north end flows through a short 

* Morse. 



NATURAL GEOGRAPHY. 25 

channel into Seneca river. Skeneateles lake, 14 miles long 
and 1 broad, and the Owasco, 11 miles long and 1 broad, are 
also discharged into Seneca river. 

Canandaigua lake is 15 miles long, and nearly 2 broad. 
Chatauque lake lies 9 miles from lake Erie, and is 18 miles 
long and 3 broad. Its waters flow from Conewango creek 
into the Allegany river. Boats go from the head of this lake 
to New Orleans. 

Otsego and Caniaderago lakes are the two sources of the 
Susquehannah. The first is 9 miles long and 1 wide. The 

other is nearly as large. Oswegatchie lake is 18 miles long, 
and nearly parallel with the St. Lawrence. 

Sec. VIII. Islands. The principal islands 
are, Long Island, east of the city of New York ; 
Staten Island, west of New York bay ; Manhat- 
tan or York Island, on which the city of New 
York stands ; and Grand Island, in the Niagara 
river. 

Long Island is about 140 miles long, and, on an average, 
about 10 broad. It is separated from Connecticut by the 
Sound, from York Island by East river, and from Staten 
Island by the Narrows. A ridge of hills extends through the 
north side, but the island is generally level. The soil is poor, 
and, in many places, not worth cultivating. 

Manhattan is 15 miles long, and from 1 to 2 in width. It 
is separated from the Jersey shore by Hudson's, and from 
Long Island by East river. 

Staten Island, 9 miles south of Manhattan, is 18 miles long 
and from 6 to 7 broad. It is generally rough and hilly. On 
the south side is a considerable tract, which is level, and tol- 
erably fertile. 

Grand Island is 6 miles long and 3 broad. It has a good 
soil. The south end is 4 miles from Buffalo. 
3 



26 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

CHAP. II. 

NATURAL GEOGRAPHY— CONTINUED. 

Mineralogy, Salt Springs. Medicinal Waters, 
Botany. Natural Curiosities. 

Sec. I. Mineralogy. The mineral resources 
of the state have, as yet, been very imperfectly 
investigated, and many parts of this extensive 
country remain totally unexplored. Wherever 
inquires have been made, they have generally 
resulted in the most brilliant success. 

Of Iron there is an inexhaustible quantity in the Highlands, 
and in different parts of the state, as far as Indian river, or 
the west branch of the Oswegatchie. The ore on the bor- 
ders of lake Champlain and in the Highlands gives a metai 
of a very superior quality. 

Marble of great value, on account of its quality and color, 
abounds in the counties of Ulster, Dutchess and Washington. 
A vein of a dove color, full of scallops, or pectinitcs, has been 
discovered in the vicinity of Ontario in Jefferson county. 
Black marble, with white spots, is found at Marbletown in 
Ulster county, at Granville in Washington county, and at 
Ticonderoga. 

Limestone abounds in various places. Magnesian Limestone 
is found near the city of New York. Fetid Carbonate of 
Lime, in Dutchess county ; also, near Ticonderoga, and the 
Falls of Niagara. 

Clay is widely diffused throughout the state, and exists in 
a considerable number of varieties. Fine white Pipe-Clay 
is found on Black river. Gypsum (sulphate of lime) abounds 
in the western country, and a large vein has been opened in 
the eastern, a mile above the town of Hudson, and near the 
river of the same name. That of Onondaga is very pure. 



NATURAL GEOGRAPHY. 27 

Native Silver has been found near Sing Sing, in a small 
v«in. Ores of Tin have been discovered in the Higlilands, 
and in the counties of Essex and Clinton. Ores of Arsenic 
are found in Orange county, in the town of Warwick. Garnet^ 
of a rose color, exists near Fishkill. 

Flint, embedded in limestone, is found at Black Rock, in 
the Seneca prairies, and near Saratoga Springs. Quartz, of 
which the Esopus millstone is made, is found in the counties 
of Ulster and Orange. Argillaceous Slate is found in Dutch- 
ess and Ulster counties. Coal exists near the banks of the 
Hudson, in the town of New Marlborough. 

Lead is found in the Highlands, Columbia, Essex, Clinton, 
Herkimer, Ulster, and several other counties. Black Lead, 
or Plumbago, exists near the city of New York, and in the 
Highlands 60 miles north ; also, in the counties of Ulster and 
Jefferson, and near lake Champlain. Emery is found in the 
vicinity of lake George. 

Native Alum occurs in several caverns, in which also are 
found beautiful samples of Calcareous and Silicious Spar. 
Asbestos is found in Dutchess and Rensselaer counties. A 
considerable variety of Ochres, or Pigments, are found in 
different parts of the state. Mica occurs in numerous varieties. 
Serpentine is found in New Lebanon. Rock Crystal is abun- 
dant. Beds of Silicious Sand have been discovered, afford- 
ing, for the purposes of manufacture, an inexhaustible supply. 

Sec, II. Salt Springs. The Salt Springs oc- 
cupy a conspicuous place among the mineral 
resources of this state, and furnish inexhaustible 
mines of great value. The most important are 
found in the counties of Onondaga, Cayuga, 
Seneca, Ontario and Genesee. 

The Onondaga salt springs rise in a marsh at the head of 
the Onondaga, or Salt lake. The water is remarkably im- 
pregnated with salt. Fifty gallons yield, by boiling, a bushel 
of salt, weighing fifty-six pounds. It contains a considerable 
quantity of lime. In addition to salt, the water contains 
carbonic acid gas, and a small quantity of sulphuric acid. 



28 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

The springs most highly impregnated issue from the marsh 
in a group, at the foot of the declivity on which is built the 
village of Salina. There are many other salt springs in 
different parts of the marsh ; some along the shores of the 
lake several miles further down, and others at a considerable 
distance up the creek. All of these are not, however, equal- 
ly impregnated with this mineral. 

Sec. III. Medicinal Waters, New York has 
long been celebrated for the superior richness 
and variety of its medicinal waters. Those of 
Saratoga are, perhaps, unequalled by any in the 
world. Of Sulphur Springs there is an almost 
infinite diversity, from those of Clifton to the 
small sulphuretted hydrogen springs everywhere 
diffused over the regions of clay, shistus and 
limestone. Bituminous Springs occur in Cata- 
raugus and Allegany counties. 

The Saratoga Springs rise out of a shallow vale, or marsh, 
by the side of a branch of the Kayadarossoras creek. The 
Congress, High Rock, Columbian, Red, Flat Rock, Wash- 
ington, Hamilton and President Springs are the most cele- 
brated. 

Congress Spring* in its medicinal effect, is the most impor- 
tant. The gas, escaping through the water in fine bubbles, 
gives to the surface the appearance of simmering. When 
first dipped, the water is remarkably limpid ; but, after stand- 

* One gallon of the water of Congress Spring gives, on analysis, the 
following result : 

Muriate of Soda, ----------- 471,5 

Carbonate of Lime, ..--- 178,476 

Carbonate of Soda, ---------- 16,5 

Carbonate of Magnesia, -------- 3,356 

Carbonate of Iron, 6,168 

Total, 676 grains. 
Carbonic acid gas— 343 cubic inches. 



NATURAL GEOGRAPHY. 29 

ing a few hours exposed to the air, it becomes turbid, and 
deposits a sediment. Its most obvious effect, when taken as 
a medicine, is that of a cathartic and diuretic. 

High Rock Spi'ing is enclosed in a hollow rock of a coni- 
cal form, that rises about five feet, the base of which is about 
nine feet in diameter. At the top is a circular opening of 
near ten inches in diameter, which enlarges downward. The 
water rises within two feet of the top, and is kept in a state 
of constant ebullition by the escape of carbonic acid gas, of 
which this spring contains a larger proportion than any of the 
others. 

This rock seems to have been formed, by concretion, from 
the particles thrown up by the waters, and is of a spongy 
texture, soft, and easily broken, though the surface is more 
compact and hard, of a color approaching to the brown oxyd 
of iron in a natural state. There is a crack on one side, 
which is supposed to open a vent for the water below the 
surface of the earth ; and tradition asserts, with every ap- 
pearance of probability, that, when the spring was first dis- 
covered, the water flov/ed over the top of the rock. 

These v»aters contain muriates of soda and lime, carbonates 
of lime, magnesia, soda and iron, with large quantities of 
carbonic acid gas. They are useful in cases of dispepsia, 
calculous complaints, cutaneous eruptions, and scrofula. 
They are widely diffused over Saratoga county. Those of 
Baliston* have long been in high repute, and are much fre- 
quented. 

The Clifton Springs are in Farmington, 12 miles from 
Geneva. The principal issues are 3 large springs. The 
rocks around them are calcareous, filled with impressions 

* One gallon of the water from the principal fountain at Balaton 
Spa gives — 

Muriate of Soda, - - - - 159, 

Carbonate of Soda, ------.... 9, 

Carbonate of Lime, ---..--... 75,5 

Carbonate of Magnesia, --------- 2,5 

Carbonate of Iron, ---------- 7, 

Total, 253 grains. 
Carbonic acid gas — 210 cubic inches. 
3 * 



30 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

generally imputed to petrifaction of testaceous shells. Where 
one of them rises is a spot 5 or 6 rods in diameter, complete- 
ly covered with mineral precipitates, principally sulphur, which 
is found to be in some places near 6 feet deep. 

These waters are strongly impregnated with sulphur. 
When first dipped, they are perfectly transparent, but become 
opaque by standing, and assume a yellowish cream color, as 
the precipitates form. These consist of sulphur and carbon- 
ate of lime. In this state, they emit great quantities of sul- 
phuretted hydrogen gas, which diffuses a scent to a very con- 
siderable distance. 

Cliappequa Spring is a chalybeate at mount Pleasant, 3 
miles from Hudson's river, and 30 from New York. On a 
mountain near Newbury, there is a mineral spring, whose 
waters create sickness and nausea. It is said to contain 
copper ; and around it a flame has been seen, as if issuing 
from the earth. The Seneca Oil, from Cataraugus and 
Allegany counties, is a petroleum very nearly resembling the 
liritish Oil of commerce. There are warm springs at New 
Lebanon in Columbia county, and near Flushing in Long 
Island. 

Sec. IV. Botany. The common forest trees 
are the varieties of oak, ash, walmit, pine, ma- 
ple, beech, chestnut, birch, poplar, cherry, cedar, 
elm, hemlock, sumach, &c. Of shrubs and 
plants, the most noted are wild hops, fox-grapes, 
ginseng, sarsaparilla, snakeroot, spikenard, man- 
drake, wild gooseberry, and cranberry. 

The greatest proportion of timber in the western country 
consists of oak, elm, maple, walnut, beech, butternut, chest- 
nut, c'ucumber. The , indigenous plum-tree yields a fruit of 
an agreeable flavor, which ripens late in autumn. Four 
varieties of wild grape grow throughout the whole terri- 
tory. 

In the north-western parts, near the river St. Lawrence and 
lake Ontario, black and white oak abounds, interspersed with 
pine and hickory. The natural growth consists of maple, 



NATURAL GEOGRAPHY. 31 

beech, elm, basswood, and birch. There are numerous tracts 
covered with pine. 

Sec. v. Natural Curiosities, The country 
contains many of those uncommon views, which 
have been classed under this head. Its noble 
cataracts, the gloomy recesses of its caverns, the 
romantic defiles of its mountains and highlands, 
present many striking and highly interesting 
scenes. 

The Falls of Niagara, and the Genesee, have been previ- 
ously mentioned. Glcnnh Falls, on the Hudson, near Kings- 
bury, are highly picturesque and magnificent. A solid bed 
of limestone extends across the channel, forming, as the bed 
of the river sinks down, an irregular precipice. From this, 
the whole waters of the Hudson descend in broken tor- 
rents. 

The masses of rock which direct the courses of the waters, 
and separate their currents, are disposed in horizontal strata. 
In several places, they are very abrupt, and terminate in a 
perpendicular wall. Between them are profound openings, 
through which the torrent forces its way. At the bottom all 
the streams unite, and proceed in conjunction towards Fort 
Edward. 

The CaJioes, or Great Falls of the Mohawk, are not un- 
worthy of notice. The river pours over a rock, which extends 
900 yards, nearly across the channel, and about 30 feet in 
height. These falls are about 3 miles from its junction with 
the Hudson. 

There is a singular cave at Rhinebec, in Dutchess county. 
The entrance, between two large rocks, on the declivity of a 
steeps hill, is a short and small horizontal passage, to a narrow, 
perpendicular passage, about 10 feet long, from 8 to 10 broad, 
and 4 high. 

A narrow passage conducts from this to a second room, 13 
feet long, but higher and broader than the first. Numerous 
calcareous stalactites depend from the roof of this room, and 
some statagmites rise from the floor. These have met in va- 



32 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

rious places, and formed solid columns, some of them more 
than two feet in circumference. 

" This cave was discovered, in 1792, by a lad, accidentally 
passing near its entrance. On prying into the gloomy recess, 
he saw a ladder placed in a perpendicular passage, at the foot 
of which he found several pieces of cloth, and bits of leather 
scattered about the floor. Probably it had been the resort, 
during the war, of some of that numerous class of mankind, 
who find daylight a serious inconvenience."* 

In Ulster county is a cavern of greater dimensions than any 
other yet explored in this country. Its length is estimated 
at three quarters of a mile, and its breadth varies from twenty 
to forty feet. It is at least twenty feet in height. A stream, 
which issues from the mountain to the north-west, turns two 
mills before it runs through it. It emerges about a quarter 
of a mile from the Roudout creek, and falls into it. 

The passage into the cavern is at a considerable distance 
from its western extremity. It is very narrow, and so precip- 
itous as to occasion some difficulty in descending. It is 
evident, from the form of the blocks of stone, which lie un- 
der the opening, that it has been made by the splitting of the 
rock from the expansion of ice in its cavities. 

On the sides and roof of the cavern, which are composed 
of dark-colored limestone, are seen impressions of shells, 
calcareous spar, and beautiful white and yellov/ stalactites, 
of different size and shape ; some of which have the appear- 
ance of a honeycomb. A few rods from the opening, on the 
west side, the cavern divides itself into two vaults of nearly 
equal dimensions. Near the eastern extremity, there is a fall 
of water of unknown depth, beyond which no person has yet 
ventured. 

In the south-east part of lake Erie, about 20 rods from the 
shore, is a curious spring, which boils up from the bottom of 
the lake. The water is here four and a half feet deep. The 
water of the spring rises with some force through that of the 
lake, and may be collected. It takes fire when a brand is 
thrust into it, and, when drank, proves a powerful emetic. 

* Morse. 



NATURAL GEOGRAPHY. 33 

111 Chester, Warren county, is a natural bridge, which 
gives the name of Stone Bridge creek to a small stream that 
runs under it. This stream rises in Essex county, and enters 
Chester about 30 rods above the bridge, and immediately 
falls over a rocky precipice into a large natural basin ; whence, 
turning easterly, it enters the subterranean passage in two 
branches. 

The northern branch enters its passage under an arch of 
granite 40 feet high, and about 80 feet broad at the base, 
gradually diminishing in capacity as you descend. A person 
may follow the stream with ease 156 feet from the entrance, 
where it becomes so much contracted as to prevent any 
farther progress. 

At a short distance, the southern and principal branch 
enters its passage amidst a heap of stones and rubbish, that 
almost conceals the entrance, and with difficulty its passage 
has been explored. It is in some places much confined, and, 
in others, opens into caverns of 30 or 40 feet diameter, and 
filled with water to a great depth. At the distance of 247 
feet from the entrance, the waters disembogue in one stream, 
having united in the subterranean passage ; and here a preci- 
pice of rock 57 feet high terminates the bridge. The arch 
through which the water is discharged is about 10 feet wide, 
and 5 in height. 

In Willsborough, on lake Champlain, is a remarkable " Split 
Rock." The whole coast of the lake, for a number of miles, 
is formed by rude and rocky mountains, which seem to hang 
over the water, and threaten the passing sailor. From one 
extremity of these cliffs, a rocky promontory projected about 
50 yards into the lake. 

By some violent convulsion of nature, it has been broken 
off, and removed from the main rock about 20 feet. The 
opposite sides exactly fit eacfh other, the prominences of each 
corresponding perfectly with the cavities of the other. The 
point broken off contains about half an acre, and is covered 
with wood. The height of the rock above the water, on each 
side of the fissure, is about 12 feet. 

Under the head of Curiosities may also be included those 
giant productions of our forests, for which some parts of our 



^4 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

state have been so much celebrated. A black walnut-tree^ 
near the mouth of the creek to which it has given name, 
measures twenty-seven feet in circumference. The trunk, 
to the height of seventy feet, is straight, destitute of limbs, 
and diminishes very little in diameter. 

In Reading is a white oak, which measures seventeen feet 
six inches in circumference six feet from the ground. It is 
perfectly erect, and diminishes very little for fifty feet. In 
Mentz, there is a hollow button wood-tree, which is thirty- 
three feet in circumference three feet from the ground. Elder 
Smith preached to an audience of thirty-five persons in the 
cavity of this tree, and asserted, that it would have held fif- 
teen more. Its diameter is seventeen feet. There is another 
in Oswego, which measures thirty-five feet six inches in cir- 
cumference two feet from the ground, and is now in a 
growing and healthy condition. 



NATIVE ANIMALS. 35 

CHAP. III. 

NATURAL GEOGRAPHY— CONTINUED. 

NATIVE ANIMALS. 

Mastodon. Moose, Bear, Wolf, Cougar. 
Wolverene. Catamount, Wildcat. Raccoon, 
Marten. Deer. Fox. Hare. Rabbit. Por- 
cupine. Woodchuck. Skunk. Weasel. Squir- 
rel. Mouse. Ermine. Beaver. Musk-rat. 
Mink. Otter. Fish. Birds. Insects. Ser- 
pents and Reptiles. 

Sec. I. The uncultivated state of the coun- 
try, previous to its settlement by Europeans, was 
highly favourable to the production of animal life. 
The immense forests, which extended over every 
part of the state, formed the residence of a great 
variety and number of animals. Compared with 
the same kinds of animals in Europe, they were 
in disposition more mild and temperate, and far 
superior* in magnitude, strength and vital energy. 

* The following table gives the weight of several kinds of animals 

In America. \ 

. - - 456 lb. 

- . - 92 

- - - 308 
... 20 

- - - 16 

- - - 5 4 oz. 

- . - 63 8 

- - - 29 8 
... 8 

- - - 7 

- - - 12 
... 14 



in America and E 


lurope : 










In Europe. 


TVio ■Ron- . 




153 lb. 
69 


^ rtT 


X He j>ear, - 
Wolf, - 


... 


8 


Deer, 


... 


268 


8 


Fox, red - 


. . . 


n 


5 


Porcupine, 


. . . 


2 


2 


Martin, « 


... 


1 


9 


Beaver, . 


I"- 


18 


5 


Otter, - 


8 


9 


Hare, - . 




7 


6 


Rabbit, . 


... 


3 


4 


Weasel, . 


. . . 


2 


2 • 


Ermine - 


... 


2 


8 - 



36 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

Fed by the luxuriant productions of a fertile 
soil, and unmolested, but by a few, and unarmed 
men, they increased and multiplied with aston- 
ishing rapidity. 

Sec. II. Of quadrupeds, there were about 
forty kinds. Most of these have, at present, 
either entirely disappeared, or are found only in 
the northern, and more mountainous regions. 

The principal quadrupeds were the mastodon, or mammoth, 
moose, bear, wolf, wolverene, cougar, catamount, raccoon, 
marten, deer, fox, hare, rabbit, porcupine, woodchuck, skunk, 
weasel, ermine, squirrel and mouse. The beaver, otter, 
musk-rat and mink are amphibious. Some of the most inter- 
esting of these will be described. 

Sec. III. The Mastodon, or Mammoth, first 
excites our attention. This name has been ap- 
plied to an animal now extinct, the remains of 
which are found in the counties of Ulster, Or- 
ange and Rockland, in this state, and in various 
other parts of, America. It in some respects 
resembled the elephant, but was of a distinct 
species from that animal, and of five or six times 
its magnitude. It has been supposed by some, 
from the form of the teeth, to be carnivorous, 
but, from other indications, we are compelled to 
adopt the contrary opinion. An almost entire 
skeleton has been collected, which weighs about 
one thousand pounds. 

The height of this skeleton, over the shoulders, is 11 feet, 
the hip 9. Length, from the chin to the rump, 15 feet ; from 
the point of the tusks to the end of the tail, following the 
exterior curve, 81 feet; in a straight line, 17 feet 6 inches. 
Length of the under jaw, 2 feet 10 inches. It v/eighs 63^ lbs. 



NATIVE ANIMALS. 37 

The tusks are 10 feet 7 inches long, and a single tooth weighs 
4 lb. 10 ounces. 

" The emotions experienced, when, for the first time, we 
behold the giant relics of this great animal, are those of un- 
mingled awe. We cannot avoid reflecting on the time when 
this huge frame was clothed with its peculiar integuments, and 
moved by appropriate muscles ; when the mighty heart dashed 
forth its torrents of blood through vessels of enormous cali- 
ber, and the mastodon strode along in supreme dominion over 
every tenant of the wilderness." 

" However we examine what is left to us, we cannot help 
feelino;, that this animal must have been endowed with a 
strength exceeding that of other quadrupeds as much as it 
exceeded them in size ; and, looking at its ponderous jaws, 
armed with teeth peculiarly fitted for the most effectual crush- 
ing of the firmest substances, we are assured, that its life 
could only be supported by the destruction of vast quantities 
of food." 

" Enormous as were these creatures during life, and en- 
dowed with faculties proportioned to the bulk of their frames, 
the whole race has been extinct for ages. No tradition nor 
human record has been saved, and, but for the accidental 
preservation of a comparatively few bones, we should never 
have dreamed that a creature of such vast size and strength 
once existed, nor could we have believed that such a race had 
been extinguished forever." 

" Such, however, is the fact — ages after ages have rolled 
away — empires and nations have arisen, flourished, and sunk 
into irretrievable oblivion, while the bones of the mastodon, 
which perished long before the periods of their origin, have 
been discovered, scarcely changed in color, and exhibiting all 
the marks of perfection and durability. 

" That a race of animals so large, and consisting of so 
many species, should become entirely and universally extinct, 
is a circumstance of high interest ; — for it is not with the 
mastodon as with the elephant, which still continues to be a 
living genus, although many of its species have become ex- 
tinct. The entire race of the mastodon has been utterly 
4 



38 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

destroyed, leaving nothing but the " mighty wreck" of their 
skeletons, to testify that they once were among the living 
occupants of this land. 

" The situations whence these bones have been most com- 
monly obtained, appear to have greatly contributed to their 
preservation. They have generally been dug from beneath a 
considerable mass of mud, or marl, where they have long 
soaked in fluids charged with saline and other impregnations. 
Thus they have been equally protected against the effects of 
detrition and vicissitudes of weather, and most of the bones 
found are in every respect perfect, with the exception of an 
unimportant change in color. This circumstance is almost 
universally observed of the bones contained in the different 
cabinets of this country ; when scraped or cut, they exhale 
an odor remarkably similar to that produced by the same 
treatment of a recent bone. 

" There are several circumstances leading us almost to de- 
spair of ever procuring the upper part of the skull, which, on 
account of its comparative thinness and weakness, as well as 
the fact of its being always found much nearer the surface, 
must be among the first parts to decay, and be irrecoverably 
lost. No specimen has yet been obtained more perfect than 
the one the dimensions of which are given above, and this 
has no part of the skull above the zygomatic arches. In this, 
as in all the individuals discovered, the top of the head was 
so far decayed and destroyed as to prevent the least idea being 
formed as to its figure or elevation, 

"Enough of the head has fortunately been preserved to make 
us fully acquainted with the dentition of this great animal, 
and enable us to decide on the general nature of its food, and 
habits of living. Without the aid derived from this source, 
we should still be in doubt, and have nothing to guide us to 
a satisfactory conclusion, although the analogy in size and 
general configuration might have served to produce the infer- 
ence, that the animal was, in other respects, most nearly alli- 
ed to the elephant, rhinoceros, or hippopotamus." 

* Godman. 



"# 



^ NATIVE ANIMALS. 39 

Sec. IV. The largest living animal found 
within the limits of the state was the Moose. 
They were of two kinds, and belong to the same 
species with the elk. The black are said to 
have been from eight to twelve feet high.* The 
gray are, generally, as tall as a horse, and some 
much taller. Both have spreading, palmated 
horns, which are shed annually, and weigh from 
thirty to forty pounds. The largest of these 
animals were estimated by the hunters to weigh 
from thirteen to fourteen, hundred pounds. It 
has long ceased to be an inhabitant of our for- 
ests. 

The head of the moose is large, the neck short, with a 
thick, short and upright mane. The eyes are small, the ears 
long, very broad and thick. Under the throat there is a fleshy 
protuberance, from which grows a tuft of long hair; the nos- 
trils are large ; the upper lip square, and hangs over the lower. 
The horns, when fully grown, are about four or five feet from 
the head to the extremity. The hoofs of the moose are clo- 
ven, and, while running, their rattling is heard at a considera- 
ble distance. ?f The food of this animal is grass, shrubs, the 
boughs and bark of trees, especially the birch, which they 
seem to prefer above all others, and a species of maple, which 
is called moose-wood. 

" The moose, like his kindred species, is a harmless and 
peaceful animal, except in the season when the sexes seek 
each other. Then the males display a fierceness and pugnac- 
ity, which forms a strong contrast to their ordinary actions ; 
w^ere they examined only during such seasons, the character 
of the species would be entirely misconceived. Under the 
influence of this powerful, though temporary excitement, the 
males battle furiously with each other, and resist the agres- 
sions of man himself with vigor and effect. 

" In the summer, the moose frequents swampy or low grounds 

* Morse. 



40 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

near the margins of lakes and rivers, through which thej 
delight to swim, as it frees them, for the time, from the annoy- 
ance of insects. They are also seen wading out from the 
shores, for the purpose of feeding on the aquatic plants which 
rise to the surface of the water. At this season, they regularly 
frequent the same place in order to drink, of which circum- 
stance the Indian hunter takes advantage to lie in ambush, 
and secure the destruction of the deer. At such drinking- 
places as many as eight or ten pairs of moose horns have 
been picked up. 

" During the winter, the moose, in families of fifteen or 
twenty, seek the depths of the forests for shelter and food. Such 
a herd will range throughout an extent of about 500 acres, 
subsisting upon the mosses attached to the trees, or browsing 
the tender branches of saplings, e&'f)ecially of the tree called 
moose-wood. The Indians name parts of the* forests thus 
occupied moose-yards. 

" The horns of the moose spread out almost immediately 
from their base into a broad palmation : in old animals they 
increase to a large size, and have been known to weigh 56 
pounds, each horn being 32 inches long. The horns are 
generally cast in the month of November. The Indians em- 
ploy them for various purposes, cutting them into spoons, 
scoops, &LC. 

" When chased, the moose throws his horns towards his neck, 
elevates his nose, and dashes swiftly into the thickest of the 
forest. Occasionally the horns prove the means of his destruc- 
tion, by being entangled among vines, or caught between 
small trees. Where the moose runs over a plain, he moves 
with great celerity, although his gait is nothing better than a 
sort of long stumbling trot : this, however, is rendered very 
efficient by the great length of his limbs. While running in 
this manner, the divisions of the hoofs, which are very long, 
separate as they press the ground, and close together, as they 
are raised, with a clattering sound, which may be heard to 
some distance : this circumstance is also remarked in the 
reindeer. 

^' Notwithstanding the ease and swiftness of their movements. 



NATIVE ANIMALS. 41 

they would be easily captured, if pursued by horsemen and 
hounds, in a country adapted to such a chase, as they are both 
short-breathed and tender-footed. 

" The acuteness of their sense of hearing, thought to be that 
which is possessed by the moose in the greatest perfection, to- 
gether with the keenness of their smell, renders it very difficult 
to approach them. The Indians attempt it by creeping among 
the trees and bushes, always keeping to leeward of the deer. 
In summer, when they resort to the borders of lakes and rivers, 
the Indians often kill them while crossinfr the streams, or when 
swimming from the shore to the islands. 'They are,' says 
Hearne, * when pursued in this manner, the most inoffensive of 
all animals, never making any resistance ; and the young ones 
are so simple, that I remember to have seen an Indian paddle 
his canoe up to one of them, and take it by the poll, without the 
least opposition ; the poor, harmless animal seeming, at the same 
time, as contented along side the canoe as if swimming by the 
side of its dam, and looking up in our faces with the same 
fearless innocence that a house lamb would, making use of its 
fore foot almost every instant to clear its eyes of mosquitoes, 
which at that time were remarkably numerous.' 

" The flesli of the moose, though generally coarser and tough- 
er than other venison, is esteemed excellent food ; and the In- 
dians, hunters and travellers all declare, they can withstand 
more fatigue while fed on this meat than when using any other. 
The large and gristly extremity of the nose is accounted an 
epicurean treat, and the tongue of the animal is also highly 
praised, notwithstanding it is not commonly so fat and delicate 
as the tongue of the common deer. As the moose feeds upon 
the twigs, buds, and small branches of the willow, birch, pop- 
lar, mosses, aquatic plants, &lc., its flesh must be peculiarly 
flavored. ' The fat of the intestines is hard, like suet, but all 
the external fat is soft, like that of a breast of mutton, and, when 
put into a bladder, is as fine as marrow. In this they differ 
from all the other species of deer, of which the external fat is 
as hard as that of the kidneys.'* The female moose never has 
any horns ; they bring forth their young, ' from one to three in 
number, in the latter end of April, or beginning of May.'* 

* Hearne. 
4* 



42 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

" The male moose often exceeds the largest horse in size and 
bulk. The females are much less than the males, and differently 
colored. The hair of the male is long and soft, like that of a 
common deer : it is black at tip, but within it is of an ash 
color, and at the base pure white. The hair of the female is 
of a sandy brown color, and in some places, especially under 
the throat, belly and flank, is nearly white at tip, and altogether 
so at base. 

" The moose, like other deer inhabiting the northern regions, 
is exceedingly annoyed by insects, which not only feast upon 
its blood, but deposit their eggs in different parts of its body, 
along the spine, within the cavities of the nose, mouth, &c. 
These eggs, when hatched, form large larvae or maggots, that 
feed on the parts within which they are placed, until ready to 
assume their perfect or winged condition, when they perforate 
the skin, and take flight. So great a number of such perfora- 
tions are made at certain seasons, that the skins of the moose are 
rendered worthless to the hunter, unless it be for the purpose of 
cutting them into thongs for nets, and other uses."* 

Sec. y. The Bear was one of the most com- 
mon animals, and always of a black color. It 
was carnivorous, but less fierce and sanguinary 
than has been generally supposed. Its greatest 
weight is about four hundred and fifty pounds. 
It has disappeared in most parts of the state, 
but is occasionally found in the northern and 
mountainous regions. 

The bear has short legs, with a thick, clumsy body; is generally 
fat, and is very fond of vegetable food, such as sweet apples, 
corn, berries, grapes, &lc. He frequently destroys the smaller 
domestic animals, but seldom attacks man without provocation. 
But, when wounded, he turns on the aggressor with great fury, 
and defends himself desperately. The sight and hearing appear 
to be the most acute of his senses ; and, although he kills many 
small animals, he does not follow them by the smell. When 
he walks, his gait is heavy, and apparently awkward, and, when 

* Godman. 



NATIVE ANIMALS. 43 

running, ife not much less so, but his strength of body enables 
him to move with considerable celerity for a long time- 

"If taken young, the bear is readily domesticated, and 
* taught numerous tricks. . We see him frequently exhibited by 
itinerant showmen, as a * learned' bear, thouah it requires a 
long continuance of severe and cruel discipline to bring him 
to this state of * improvement.' In captivity, they are always 
remarkable for the persevering manner in which they keep 
moving backward and forward at the extremity of their chain, 
thus expressing their impatience of confinement, or, rather, 
as if solicitous to take exercise. 

" This feeling of the necessity of exercise is manifested in 
an especial manner when the animal is confined in a very small 
cage, where he has not room even to turn entirely round. 
Under such circumstances, he perseveringly moves himself in 
every direction that his narrow limits allow, stepping with his 
fore feet first to one side, and then to the other ; and, finally, 
by raising and depressing his body quickly, as if jumping from 
the ground, he gives his whole frame a degree of exercise, 
which must tend to the preservation of his health and 
strength. 

*' The females bring forth their young in the winter time, and 
exhibit for them a degree of attachment "which nothing can 
surpass. They usually have two cubs, which are suckled 
until they are well grown. The fondness existing between 
the mother and cubs seems to be mutual, and no danger 
can separate her from them, nor any thing short of death 
itself induce her to forsake them. 

" ' Near the old village of Catharine, in this state, a young 
man of seventeen, passing through the woods early in 
the morning, met with a young cub, which he pursued 
and caught, and, seizing it by the heels, swung it against 
a log repeatedly, to kill it. The noise it made alarmed the 
dam, and the lad, lifting his eyes, saw a large bear making 
towards him with great fury. Dropping the cub, he seized 
his gun in time to discharge the contents, which only wound- 
ed her, when, instantly clubbing the musket, he belabored 
her on the sides, snout, head, &c., till the stock of the gun 
was shivered, and the barrel wrenched and twisted in an ex 



44 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

traordinary manner. After a sustained combat, in which the 
bear tore his clothes to pieces, and scratched him severely, he 
took an opportunity (when, from the bleeding of her wounds 
and weakness, she began to flag) to run away for assistance. 
On returning with his master, they killed the old bear and 
both her cubs.'* 

" The following instance occurred in the western part of 
the state, in the year 1824. The back window of a 
farm-house was forced open one night, and a considerable 
quantity of pork carried off. The proprietor, without suspect- 
ing the nature of the plunderer, placed a loaded musket op- 
posite the window, having a string so adjusted that the gun 
would be discharged by any thing attempting to enter the 
room through the window. During the night the report of 
the gun was heard, and, in the morning, the body of a large 
black bear was found at a short distance from the spot where 
he had received his death wound. 

'* The black bear, like all the species of this genus, is very 
tenacious of life, and seldom falls unless shot through the brain 
or heart. An experienced hunter never advances on a bear 
that has fallen, without first stopping to load his rifle, as the 
beast frequently recovers to a considerable degree, and v/ould 
then be a most dangerous adversary. The skull of the bear 
appears actually to be almost impenetrable, and a rifle ball, fired 
at a distance of ninety-six yards, has been flattened against it, 
without appearing to do any material injury to the bone. 
The best place to direct blows against the bear is upon his 
snout ; when struck elsewhere, his dense, woolly coat, thick 
hide and robust muscles render manual violence almost en- 
tirely unavailing. 

" When the bear is merely wounded, it is very dangerous to 
attempt to kill him with such a weapon as a knife or toma- 
hawk, or, indeed, any thing which may bring one M'ithin his 
reach. In this way, hunters and others have paid very dearly 
for their rashness, and barely escaped with their lives. The 
following instance may serve as an example of the danger of 
such an enterprise : — 

* Encyclopedia. 



NATIVE ANIMALS. 45 

** ' Mr. Mayborne, who resides in Ovid township, Cayuga 
county, went, one afternoon, through the woods in search 
of his horses, taking with him his rifle, and the only load of 
ammunition he had in the house. On his return home, about 
an hour before dusk, he perceived a very large bear crossing 
the path, on which he instantly fired, and the bear fell, but, 
immediately recovering his legs, made for a deep ravine a 
short way onwards. Here he tracked him awhile by his 
blood, but, night coming on, and expecting to find him dead 
in the morning, he returned home. A little before daybreak 
the next morning, taking a pitchfork and hatchet, and his 
son, a boy of ten or eleven years of age, with him, he pro- 
ceeded to the place in quest of the animal. 

" ' The glen, or ravine, into which he had disappeared the 
evening before, was eighty or ninety feet from the top of the 
bank to the brook below. Down this precipice a stream of 
three or four yards in breadth is pitched in one unbroken 
sheet, and, forming a circular basin or pool, winds away 
among the thick underwood. After reconnoitring every 
probable place of retreat, he at length discovered the bear, 
who had made his way up the other side of the ravine, as far 
as the rocks would admit, and sat under a projecting cliff, 
steadfastly eyeing the motions of his enemy. 

" * Mayborne, desiring his boy to remain where he was, took 
the pitchfork, and, descending to the bottom, determined, from 
necessity, to attack him from below. The bear kept his po- 
sition until the man approached within six or seven feet, 
when, on the instant, instead of being able to make a stab 
with the pitchfork, he found himself grappled by the bear, 
and both together rolled towards the pond, at least twenty or 
twenty-five feet, the bear biting on his left arm, and hugging 
him almost to suffocation. By great exertion, he thrust his 
right arm partly down his throat, and, in that manner, endeav- 
ored to strangle him, but was once more hurled headlong 
down through the bushes, a greater distance than before, into 
the water. Here, finding the bear gaining on him, he made 
one desperate effort, and drew the animal's head partly under 
water, and, repeating his exertions, at last weakened him so 
much, that, calling to his boy, who stood on the other side in a 



46 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

state little short of distraction for the fate of his father, to bring 
him the hatchet^ he sunk the edge of it, by repeated blows, 
into the brain of the bear. This man, although robust and 
muscular, was scarcely able to crawl home, where he lay for 
nearly three weeks, the flesh of his arm being much crushed, 
and his breast severely mangled. The bear weighed upwards 
of four hundred pounds.' 

" The black bear, in common with other species of this 
genus, endeavors to suffocate an adversary by violently 
hugging and compressing its chest. A man might end such 
a struggle in a few instants, if one hand be sufficiently 
at liberty to grasp the throat of the animal with the thumb 
and fingers, externally, just at the root of the tongue, as a 
slight degree of compression there will generally suffice to 
produce a spasm of the glottis, that will soon suffocate it 
beyond the power of offering resistance or doing injury."* 

Sec. VI. The WoJfwdiS frequently met with, 
and also the most noxious of our native animals. 
The color of the wolf is a dirty gray, and in 
general form he resembles the dog, or is, perhaps, 
more properly, that animal in its natural state. 
It is carnivorous, extremely fierce and sangui- 
nary. He is now found only in the northern 
and unsettled parts of the state. 

The wolf has a long head, pointed nose, sharp and erect 
ears, a short thick neck, with sharp and strong teeth. His 
eyes generally appear sparkling, and his countenance is ex- 
pressive of great wildness and ferocity. He lives in a state 
of constant warfare with all other animals, and has, in some 
instances, ventured his attacks upon men. His greatest weight 
is about ninety-two pounds. 

" The common wolf of America is considered to be the 
same species as the wolf of Europe, and, in regard to habits and 
manners, gives every evidence of such an identity. Like all 
the wild animals of the dog kind, they unite in packs to hunt 

* Godman. 



NATIVE ANIMALS. 47 

down animals which individually they could not master, and, 
during their sexual season, engage in the most furious com- 
bats with each other for the possession of the females. 

" The common wolf is possessed of great strength and fierce- 
ness, and is what is generally called a cruel animal, tearing 
the throat of his victim, drinking its blood, and rending it 
open for the purpose of devouring its entrails. The great 
strength of its jaws enables the wolf to carry off with facility 
an animal nearly as large as itself, and makes its bite exceed- 
ingly severe and dangerous. Aged or wounded individuals, 
as well as the hinds and fawns of the deer, sheep, lambs, 
calves and pigs, are killed by these wolves, and the horse is 
said to be the only domestic animal which can resist them 
with success. They gorge, with much greediness, upon ail 
sorts of carrion, which they can discover at great distances; 
and, where such provision is to be obtained in great plenty, 
they become fat, and lose their ferocity to a singular degree. 

" When this wolf has been caught in a trap, and is approach- 
ed by man, it is remarked to be exceedingly cowardly, and 
occasionally suffers itself to be beaten without offering the 
slightest resistance. If a dog be set upon a wolf thus cap- 
tured, the assault is patiently endured, so long as his master 
is present ; but, as soon as the wolf is freed from the restraint 
imposed by the presence of his captor, he springs upon and 
throttles the dog, which, if not speedily assisted, pays the 
forfeit of his presumption and temerity with his life. When 
kept in close confinement, and fed upon vegetable matter, the 
common wolf becomes tame and harmless, but is very shy, 
restless and timid, expressing the greatest alarm at the ap- 
proach of a stranger, and striving to escape from observa- 
tion. The voice of this wolf is a prolonged and melancholy 
howl, v.hich, when uttered by numerous individuals at once, 
is discordant and frightful."* 

The Cougar has entirely disappeared, or is 
very rarely met with. This animal v/as about 
the size of the wolf, of a gray color, strong, ac- 
tive, fierce and untameable. 

* Godman. 



48 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

"The following account of the destruction of a large 
cougar, which is still preserved in the New York museum, 
was given by the late Mr. Scudder. Two hunters, accom 
panied by two dogs, went out in quest of game, near the 
Kaatskill mountains. At the foot of a large hill, they agreed 
to go round it in opposite directions, and, when either dis- 
charged his rifle, the other was to hasten towards him, to aid 
in securing the game. Soon after parting, the report of a 
rifle was heard by one of them, who, hastening towards the 
spot, after some search, found nothing but the dog, dread- 
fully lacerated, and dead. He now became much alarmed for 
the fate of his companion, and, while anxiously looking 
around, was horror-struck by the harsh growl of a cougar, 
which he perceived on a large limb of a tree, crouching upon 
the body of his friend, and apparently meditating an attack 
on himself Instantly he levelled his rifle at the beast, and 
was so fortunate as to wound it mortally, when it fell to the 
ground, along with the body of his slaughtered companion. 
His dog then rushed upon the wounded cougar, which, 
with one blow of its paw, laid the poor animal dead by its 
side. The surviving hunter now left the spot, and quickly 
returned with several other persons, when they found the 
lifeless cougar extended near the dead bodies of the hunter 
and the faithful dogs."* 

The Wolverene, in many respects, resembles 
the cougar, and, hke that animal, has ceased to 
be an inhabitant of our forests. 

" This animal has served as a fruitful theme for exaggera- 
tion and fiction, which has continued the longer in propor- 
tion to the remoteness of the animal, and the difficulty of 
ascertaining its real manners. It is true, that ferocity and 
destructiveness are among its most striking characteristics, 
and it is known to feed ravenously and fully when it has 
secured its prey ; yet in none of these respects is the wolve- 
rene different from numerous other animals, nor is it at all 
the prodigy that book makers have heretofore represented it 
to be. 

* Godman. 



NATIVE ANIMALS. 49 

" The strength of the wolverene, joined to its great gust for 
animal food, causes much trouble to hunters and travellers, 
who attempt to secure provisions by burying them in the 
snow, or protect them by covering them with boughs and 
trunks of trees. It is almost impossible to prevent this crea- 
ture from finding access to such places of deposit, either by 
strength or stratagem, and destroying the stock on which the 
voyager may have counted for his future subsistence and 
safety. To the hunters, the wolverene is also injurious, by 
robbing their traps of the animals which are taken in them, 
before the arrival of the owners. ^JThe wolverene is fierce 
and dauntless, and has been seen to lake away from the wolf 
the carcass of a deer, and, when itself engaged in feeding, 
has refused to move, though warned of the approach of an 
armed hunter, who shot it, while standing as if prepared to 
maintain its prize. 

" It is stated in all the books of natural history, that this 
animal is in the habit of ascending trees, for the purpose of 
leaping down upon the necks of reindeer and other similar 
animals ; and that it has sagacity enough to carry with it, into 
the top of the tree, some of the moss of which the deer are 
fondest, and drop this immediately under it, so as to secure 
the intended victim, by placing it in the most favorable po- 
sition for being leaped on. When the deer approaches to 
pick up this moss, the watchful glutton is said to drop from 
his perch upon the neck of the animal, drive his crooked 
claws into the flesh, fasten himself firmly, and, from some 
deep wound, to drink the blood of the unfortunate deer, until 
exhaustion and death are produced. Such relations are so 
frequently repeated of this animal, that they have long ago 
ceased to be doubted, and it may seem like supererogatory 
scepticism to doubt on the subject at present. Thus much, 
however, it is due to truth to state, that we have examined, 
with some interest, the authorities originating such accounts 
of the sagacity or instinct of the wolverene, and have not 
been able to find any thing more satisfactory than mere 
assertions relative to the European glutton. It is not object- 
ed here, that these assertions are unfounded ; but they are 
gratuitous, at least as applied to the wolverene or American 
5 



50 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

glutton, since Hearne, and other travellers residing in the 
regions where this animal is most abundant, make no mention 
|; of any such thing concerning it. The necessity of seep- 

■' ticism, relative to the habits of the wolverene, becomes more 

obvious, when it is recollected, how much of what was for- 
merly believed as unquestionable, has been proved to be a fa- 
ble, resting on nothing better than the fancy of Olaus Magnus. 
" Nothing, however, is better ascertained, than that the wol- 
verene is one of the most destructive animals found in the 
northern part of this continent. It destroys great numbers 
of young foxes during summer, while they are small, discover- 
ing their burrows by i^keen scent, and, if necessary, en- 
larging the cavity so as to gain access to the bottom of the 
den, where the mother and cubs are speedily destroyed. 
The wolverene is not less inimical or destructive to the 
beaver than other animals, though the habits of the beaver 
expose it less to this sanguinary quadruped, which is gene- 
rally successful in securing his prey only when the beaver is 
caught at any distance from the margin of the water. 

" The wolverene is about two feet two inches long, from the 
end of the nose to the origin of the tail, and the latter is about 
eight inches in length, if the hair on its extremity be included : 
without measuring the hair, the length of the tail is about 
four inches. The fore legs are upwards of eleven inches long, 
and the hind legs. one foot. The face is blackish as high as 
the eyebrows, and between these and the ears we find a space of 
a whitish and brownish tint. The ears are covered with harsh 
hair ; the lower jaw, and inside of both fore legs, are spotted 
with white ; the upper part of the back, thighs, and the under 
part of the belly, are brown, or brownish black. The sides 
are of a fine chestnut color, from the shoulders to the be- 
ginning of the tail. There is a white spot over the navel ,• 
the parts of generation are reddish. The short hair of this 
animal is whitish. The eyes are small and black."* 

Sec. VII. The Catamount was rarely met 
with, but, on account of its remarkable ferocity, 
was much dreaded by the hunters. In general 

* Godman. 



NATIVE ANIMALS. 61 

form, it resembled the cat, but was larger than 
our largest dogs. It is carnivorous, and, from 
its sanguinary disposition, was esteemed the 
most dangerous of our animals. Its weight was 
estimated at about one hundred pounds. It has 
almost, if not entirely, disappeared from our 
forests. 

The length of the body, including the head, was about 7 
feet ; the circumference of the body, 2^ feet ; length of the 
tail, 3 feet, and of the legs, about ^jfoot. The color, along 
his back, was nearly black ; on the sides, a dark, reddish 
brown ; his feet black. He was not calculated for running, 
but leaped with surprising agility. 

The Wildcat, Raccoon and Marten, now occur 
only in the most uncultivated parts of the state. 
The wildcat is, in many respects, similar to our 
common cats, but larger and stronger. It is of 
the same disposition and color as the wolf. 

Sec. yill. The Deer is one of the most com- 
mon and valuable of our native animals. It is 
extremely active, possesses great mildness of dis- 
position, and is easily domesticated. Its greatest 
weight is about three hundred pounds. 

In the spring, it sheds its hair, and appears of a light red ; 
this color gradually becomes darker, until autumn, when it 
becomes a pale brown. Its horns are slender, round, project- 
ing forwards, and bent into a curve. The horns grow about 
2 feet in length, are shed annually, and weigh from /2 to 4 
pounds. 

" The common deer is more remarkable for general slen- 
derness and delicacy of form, than for size and vigor. The 
slightness and length of its limbs, small body, long and slim 
neck, sustaining a narrow and almost pointed head, give the 
animal an air of feebleness, the impression of which is only to 
be counteracted by observing the animated eye, the agile and 



52 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

playful movements, and admirable celerity of its course when 
its full speed is exerted. Then all that can be imagined of 
grace and swiftness of motion, joined with strength sufficient 
to continue a long "career, may be realized, 

" The common deer is possessed of keen senses, especially 
of hearing and smelling. The sight, though good, does not 
appear to equal in power the senses just named, upon which 
the safety of the animal most immediately depends. 

" It is therefore necessary for the hunter to approach the 
deer against the wind, otherwise he is discovered by the scent, 
at a great distance, an^his objects are entirely frustrated. 
The slightest noise exc^s the attention of the deer, and his 
fears appear to be more readily awakened by this cause than 
any other; while, on the contrary, the sight of unaccustomed 
objects seems rather to arouse curiosity than to produce ter- 
ror, as the animal will frequently approach, or stand gazing 
intently, until the hunter steals close enough to fire with fatal 
aim. 

" The deer, in herds of various numbers, freqnent the forests 
and plains adjacent to the rivers, feeding principally upon the 
buds and twigs of trees and shrubg, though they are fond of 
grass, when their favorite food is not more convenient. The 
herd is led by one of the largest and strongest bucks, who 
appears to watch over the general safety, and leads the way on 
all occasions. When any cause of alarm checks their prog- 
ress, the leader stamps with his feet, threatens with his horns, 
and shorts so loudly as to be heard for a very considerable 
distance. So long as he stands fast, or prepares for combat, 
the rest of the herd appear to feel secure ; but when he gives 
way, they all follow with precipitation, and vie with each 
other in the race. 

" The common deer, when startled from a resting place 
without being much alarmed, moves at first in a singular and 
amusing manner. With an apparent awkwardness, two or 
three springs are made, from which the deer alights on^tljiree 
feet, drawing up and extending the limbs in a stiff and pe- 
culiar manner. As the tail is erected, this alternate resting 
upon the feet of opposite sides, causes the tail to describe a 
semicircle from side to side. A few high bounds are next 



A * 



NATURAL GEOGRAPHY. 53 

made forward, as if with a view to prepare for subsequent 
exertion, and then, if the cause of alarm be continued, the 
deer exerts his strength, and dashes off in his swiftest career. 

" Ahhough the common deer is generally a very shy and 
timid animal, they are almost always inclined to fight when 
wounded or brought to bay. At this time, they fight with 
their fore feet as well as with their horns, and inflict severe 
wounds by leaping forward and striking with the edge of their 
hoofs held together. If a hunter falls on the ground in at- 
tempting to close in and despatch a wounded deer with his 
knife, he is in great danger of being killed by such blows as 
we have described. This deer is also said by the hunters to 
evince a very strong degree of animosity tovv^ards serpents, 
and especially to the rattlesnake, of which it has an instinctive 
horror. In order to destroy one of these creatures, the deer 
makes a bound into the air, and alights upon the snake with 
^^\ all four feet brought together in a square, and these violent 
blows are rapidly repeated until the hated reptile is destroyed. 

" The combats in which the males enorage with each other 
are frequently destructive of the lives of both, in a way that 
womd not readily be anticipated. In assaulting each other 
furiously, their horns come into contact, and, being elastic, 
they yield mutually to the shock, so that the horns of one 
animal pass within those of the other, and thus secure them, 
front to front, in such a manner that neither can escape ; and 
they torment themselves in fruitless struggles, until, worn down 
by hunger, they perish, or become the prey of wolves or other 
animals. Heads of deer which have thus perished are fre- 
quently found, and there is scarcely a museum in this country 
which has not one or more specimens."* 

There were several varieties of the Fox, 
This animal now occurs in various parts of the 
state, but its numbers are much diminished. 

Th^ Hare^ Rabbit, Porcupine and Wood- 
chuck are occasionally found in most parts of 
the state. 

* Godman. 



64 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

The porcupine weighs about 16 pounds, and is distinguish- 
ed for the quills, with which he is armed. These quills are 
about the size of those of the pigeon, and from two to four 
inches long. When attacked by an enemy, the porcupine 
places his head between his fore feet, and erects his quills 
around him in the form of a hemisphere. 

The quills are so loosely inserted in his flesh, and of such a 
peculiar construction, that they are easily extracted, and, like a 
barbed dart, stick fast, and work themselves into the flesh of 
any animal that touches their extremities ; nor can they be 
easily withdrawn, without tearing the flesh, but by incision. 
The color of this animal is gray, and his motion extremely slow. 

Sec. IX. The Skunk was common to ail parts 
of the state, and still frequently occurs. It is 
remarkable for being furnished with organs for 
secreting and retaining a fluid volatile and fetid 
beyond any thing known. He has the power of 
emitting this to the distance of several paces, 
when necessary for his defence. When tliis 
ammunition is expended, he is quite harmless. 
This volatile fetor is a powerful antispasmodic. 

This animal is about a foot and a half long, of a moderate 
height, and size in proportion to its length. His tail is long 
and bushy ; his hair long and chiefly black, but on his head, 
neck and back, are found spots of white without any regularity 
or uniformity. His sight is imperfect during the day time, and 
he seeks his food, consisting mostly of beetles and other insects, 
in the evening, at which time he often visits farm-houses, for 
the purpose of committing depredations upon poultry. 

Sec X. The Weasel^ and numerous varieties 
of the Squirrel and Mouse, are still common to 
most parts of the state. The Ermine is rarely 
found, and is one of the most beautiful inhabit- 
ants of the forest. 

The ermine, in form, dimensions and activity, resembles the 



NATIVE ANIMALS. 65 

weasel, but is rather larger. Its weight is about 14 ounces, 
and its color a beautiful white. The tail is tipped with black, 
and some have a stripe of dark brown, or mouse color, extend- 
ing along the back from the head to the tail. This beautiful 
animal has the most fine and delicate fiir that can be imagined. 

Sec. XI. The Beaver was formerly common, 
and its fur, in the early period of our history, 
formed an important article of trade. It is am- 
phibious, but cannot live for any length of time 
under water ; it can live without it, provided 
it has the occasional convenience of bathing. 
The largest beavers formerly found vv^ere four 
feet in length, and weighed from 50 to 60 pounds. 
Those found in later years weigh from 25 to 30 
pounds. This social and industrious animal has 
left many vestiges of its ingenuity and skill, 
though now principally driven from our territory. 

" The head of this animal is large, and his ears short and 
round. Their fore teeth are prominent, long, broad, strong, and 
grooved, or hollowed, like a gouge. Their fore legs are short, 
with loes separate ; their hinder legs are long, with toes webbed. 
The tail is large, broad, and scaly, resembling the body of a 
fish. Their color is generally a dark brown, but varies ac- 
cording to the climate they inhabit. Their hair is long and 
coarse ; the fur very thick, fine and highly valued. The castor 
used in medicine is found in sacs formed behind the kidneys,." 

" The general aspect of the beaver, at first view, would re- 
mind one of a very large rat, and, seen at a little distance, it 
might be readily mistaken for the common musk-rat. But the 
greater size of the beaver, the thickness and breadth of its 
head, and its horizontally-flattened, broad and scaly tail, render 
it impossible to mistake it for any other creature, when closely 
examined. In its movements, both on shore and in the water, 
it also closely resembles the musk-rat, having the same quick 
step, and swimming with great vigor and celerity, either on 
the surface or in the depths of the water. 



66 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

^* In a state of captivity or insulation, the beaver is a quiet, or, 
rather, stupid animal, evincing about as much intelligence as 
a tamed badger, or any other quadruped which can learn ta 
distinguish its feeder, come when called, or grow familiar with 
the inmates of the house where it is kept. It is only in a state 
of nature that the beaver displays any of those singular modes 
of acting, which have so long rendered the species celebrated. 
These may be summed up in a statement of the manner in 
which they secure a sufficient depth of water to prevent it from 
being frozen to the bottom, and their mode of constructing the 
huts in which they pass the winter. 

" They are not particular in the site they select for the estab- 
lishment of their dwellings, but if in a lake or pond, where a 
dam is not required, they are careful to build where the water 
is sufficiently deep. In standing waters, however, they have 
not the advantage affi)rded by a current, for the transportation 
of their supplies of wood, which, when they build on a run- 
ning stream, is always cut higher up than the place of their 
residence, and floated down."* 

They most commonly, however, prefer to locate their resi- 
dence in some small brook or rivulet, where they obtain sufficient 
depth of water by means of a dam. When they commence 
the erection of a dam, they " select a number of saplings, of 
soft wood, generally of less than 6 inches in diameter, but 
sometimes of 16 or 18 inches. These they fell, and divide into 
proper lengths, and place them in the water, so that the length 
of the sticks make the width of the dam. These sticks they 
lay in mud or clay, their tails serving them for trowels, as their 
teeth did for axes. These dams are six or eio-ht feet thick at 
bottom ; sloping on the side opposed to the stream ; and are 
about a quarter as broad at top as at bottom. Near the top of 
the dam, they leave one or more waste-ways, or sliding-places, 
to carry off the surplus water. 

" The formation of their cabins is no less remarkable. They 
consist of two stories, one under, the other above water. They 
are shapeH like the oval bee-hive, and of a size proportioned to 
the numbf^.r of inhabitants. The walls of the lower apartment 

* Godman. 



NATIVE ANIMALS. 57 

are two or three feet thick, formed like their dams ; those of 
the upper story are thinner ; and the whole on the inside plas- 
tered with mud. Each family constructs its own cabin. The 
upper apartments are curiously strewed with leaves, rendered 
neat, clean and comfortable. 

" The winter never surprises these animals before their busi- 
ness is completed ; for their houses are generally finished by 
the last of September, and their stock of provisions laid in, 
which consists of small pieces of wood deposited in the lower 
apartments. Before a storm, all- hands are employed in repair- 
ing or strengthening their dams. In summer, they roam abroad, 
and feed on leaves, twigs and food of this kind. The beavers 
are considered as the same species with those in Europe, but 
are in every respect vastly superior."* 

Sec. XII. The Musk-Rat is about 15 inches 
in length, and 1 foot in circumference. It is 
frequently found, is of a dark color, with short 
hair. It is furnished with glands which secrete 
a substance that has the smell of musk. In his 
manner of living, he is a distant imitator of the 
beaver. 

The Mink is about 16 inches long, and in gen- 
eral form resembles the weasel. It is of a dark 
color, and burrows in the vicinity of water. It 
is still found in most parts of the state. 

The Otter very much resembles the mink in 
form and habits. Its color is not so dark, but 
its size is much greater. It is now seldom met 
with. 

Neither of these animals, though classed as amphibious, can 
live any considerable length of time under water. 

Sec. XIII. Of Fish, the waters of this state 

present a numerous list. They are, however, 

* Morse. 



58 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

rapidly diminishing. The Salmon has long since 
ceased to visit the Hudson. Our western waters 
supply the salmon of the lakes in great abun- 
dance, while the northern abound with several 
varieties of Trout. 

Shoals of Shad and Herring annually visit the 
Hudson, and the Sturgeon may be said to abound, 
and is nowhere better than in this river. In 
the southern part of this state, the variety of 
fish is very great, having the stores of the At- 
lantic. No fish-market in the world is better 
supplied than that of New York. The Oysters 
have a high reputation. 

Bass, Pike, and a considerable variety of others, visit Albany, 
but neither the Hudson nor Mohawk can be called good for fish. 
The Oneida is the best fishing-ground of any of our small 
western lakes. The Muscanunge, Black-fish, the Pike, or Pick- 
erel of the western lakes, are much esteemed. The Cat-fish 
makes excellent eating when skilfully dressed. 

Sec. XIV. The number of Birds, that visit 
this widely-extended and diversified territory, or 
reside in it, is surprisingly great. Long Island 
alone presents a catalogue of more than 150 
species, besides many others, that remain there 
but a small part of the season. The Virginia 
Nightingale, the most elegant songster of the 
American forest, and numerous other migratory 
birds, spend the summer in our western regions. 

Of Insects there is a considerable number of 
varieties. During the warm season, the earth 
and atmosphere teem with these specimens of 
animated nature. They are, however, for the 



NATIVE ANIMALS. 59 

most part, neither venomous, nor otherwise in- 
jurious. 

Of Serpents and Reptiles the number is small. 
The Rattlesnake is the only one which is poison- 
ous, and its numbers, never great, are rapidly 
diminishing. The Black snake. Water snakes, 
small Striped snake and Green snake, with sever- 
al others, perfectly inoftensive, are occasionally 
found. 



60 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

CHAP. IV. 

VIEW OF THE COUNTRY 

AT THE TIME OF ITS DISCOVERY BY HUDSON. 

State of the Country. Aborigines. Religion 
and Superstitions. Iroquois. Their Confeder- 
acy. Antiquities. Inference. Their Authors^ 
and Origin of the Indian Race. 

Sec. I. At the period of Hudson's discovery, 
the country was mostly in an unimproved state. 
From its general appearance, and from the tra- 
ditions of its inhabitants, we infer, that it had 
previously continued in this situation for a long 
succession of ages. 

No traces of recent civilization enlivened the 
dreary waste. A few scattered villages, compris- 
ing a limited number of habitations, of the most 
imperfect construction, and some feeble and ill- 
directed attempts at agriculture, announced the 
more frequented haunts of savage life ; but by 
far the greater part of this extensive territory 
was covered by an unbroken wilderness. 

The several varieties of game, and the spon- 
taneous productions of the earth, were every- 
where numerous and abundant. The luxuriance 
of vegetation evinced the fertility of a soil, which 
required only the hand of art to render it in the 
highest degree subservient to the wants of man. 
But the country was inhabited by a race averse 
to improvement, rude and uncultivated as the 



ORIGINAL STATE OF THE COUNTRY, &c. 61 

scenery around them. Over this wide-spread 
profusion of nature's gifts, the Savage held un- 
controlled dominion, and found in the deep re- 
cesses of the forest a safe and welcome retreat. 

Sec. II. The original inhabitants of this state 
were Indians, The Iroquois,^ and the Delawares, 
a tribe of the Mohekaneeivs, were in possession of 
the territory at the time of Hudson's discovery. 
They belong to the great family, which has been 
denominated the J^Ia^i of America. In the appear- 
ance and countenance of the Indians, there is an 
uncommon uniformity and resemblance. They 
all possess nearly the same distinguishing charac- 
teristics, and, together, constitute a distinct race. 

Their persons were tall, straight and well- 
proportioned. Their skins were red or copper- 
brown ; their eyes were small, black and very 
active ; their hair, long, black and coarse. Their 
features were regular, and well adjusted, but 
their countenance was expressive of wildness and 
ferocity. In constitution, they were firm and 
vigorous, capable of sustaining great fatigue and 
hardship. 

As to general character, they were quick of ap- 
prehension, and not wanting in genius. At times, 
they were friendly, and even courteous. In coun- 
cil, they were distinguished for gravity and elo- 
quence ; in war, for bravery and address. When 
provoked to anger, they were sullen and retired ; 
and when determined upon revenge, no danger 
would deter them; neither absence nor time 

* Iroquois, The Five JVations. Afterwards, The Six JVations. 

6 



62 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

could cool them. If captured by an enemy, they 
never asked life, nor would they betray emotions 
of fear, even in view of the tomahawk or the 
kindling fagot. 

Hunting, fishing and war constituted the principal employ- 
ments of the men ; and, when not engaged in these pursuits, or 
their occasional amusements, they generally passed their time 
in a state of absolute inactivity. They were averse to agricul- 
ture, and considered it a most degrading avocation. The means 
of subsistence were mostly derived from the chase, and the 
spontaneous productions of the earth. 

" The amusements of the men were principally leaping, shoot- 
ing at marks, dancing and gaming, in all of which they made 
the most violent exertions. Their dances were usually perform^ 
ed round a large fire. In their war-dances, they sung the feats 
which they or their ancestors had achieved ; represented the 
manner in which they were performed, and wrought themselves 
up to an inexpressible degree of martial enthusiasm. The fe- 
males occasionally joined in some of these sports, but had none 
peculiar to themselves." 

They dressed in the skins of wild beasts, and were fond of 
ornaments. They arranged the hair in many singular forms, 
and adorned it with feathers. They perforated the nose and 
ears, and had pieces of metal, shells or shining stones attached 
to them. They painted the face and body with different colors 
and figures. 

Their treatment of females was cruel and oppressive. They 
were considered by the men as slaves, and treated as such. 
To them were assigned the labors of the field and the services 
of domestic care. Doomed to incessant toil, they performed 
their perpetual tasks without pity and without compassion, and 
often, in return, received the most brutal treatment from their 
husbands. 

They had no written literature except rude hieroglyphics, 
and, consequently, no records or written laws. Their old men 
became the depositaries of past experience, and by them their 
debates were chiefly carried on. Their language was rude, but 
sonorous, metaphorical and energetic. It was well sujted to 



^ ORIGINAL STATE OF THE COUNTRY, &c. 63 

the purposes of public speaking, and, when accompanied by the 
impassioned gestures, and uttered in the deep, guttural tones of 
the savage, had a singularly wild and impressive effect. 

War was considered the most honorable employment, and 
was carried on chiefly by stratagem and ambuscade. When 
they fought in the open field, they rushed to the attack with 
incredible fury, and, at the same time, uttered their appalling 
war-whoop. Their weapons were bows and arrows, headed 
with flint or other hard stones, which they discharged with 
great precision and force. 

Sec. IIL Their religious notions consisted 
of traditions mingled with many superstitions. 
They believed in two gods, the one good, who 
was the superior, and whom they styled the Great 
Spirit; the other evil. They worshipped both. 
Besides these, they worshipped various other 
deities, such as fire, water, thunder, anything 
which they supposed to be superior to themselves, 
and capable of doing them injury. Their man- 
ner of worship was to sing and dance round 
large fires. 

The Iroquois, in common with other savage nations, have a 
fabulous tradition of their origin. The following was formally 
delivered to Mr. Kirkland in a solemn assembly of the Oneida 
sachems, and some others of their principal people : — 

*' Before man existed, there were three great and good Spirits; 
of whom one WcLs superior to the other two, and is emphatically 
called the Great Spirit and the Good Spirit. At a certain time, 
this exalted Being said to one of the others, ' Make a man.' 
He obeyed, and, taking chalk, formed a paste of it, and, mould- 
ing it into the human shape, infused into it the animating 
principle, and brought it to the Great Spirit. He, after survey- 
ing it, said, ' This is too white.' 

" He then directed the other to make a trial of his skill. 
Accordingly, taking charcoal, he pursued the same process, and 



64 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

brought the result to the Great Spirit ; who, after surveying it, 
said, ' It is too black.' 

" Then said the Great Spirit, * I will now try myself;' and, 
taking red earth, he formed a human being in the same manner, 
surveying it, and said, ' This is a proper (or perfect) man/ 
These three were the original ancestors of all the white, black 
and red men of our race."* 

The following account given by the Oneidas of their mythol- 
ogy to Mr. Deane, on another occasion, is widely different from 
the above. It is truly Indian, and may be considered charac- 
teristic in all its parts. 

" An unlimited expanse of water once filled the space now 
occupied by the world which we inhabit. Here was the abode 
of total darkness, which no ray of light had ever penetrated. 
At this time the human family dwelt in a country situated in 
the upper regions of the air, abounding in every thing condu- 
cive to the comfort and convenience of life. The forests were 
full of game ; the lakes and streams swarmed with fish and 
fowl ; while the grounds and fields spontaneously produced a 
constant profusion of vegetables for the use of man. An un- 
clouded sun enlivened their days; and storms and tempests 
were unknown in that happy region. The inhabitants were 
strangers to death, and its harbingers, pain and disease ; while 
their minds were free from the corroding passions of jealousy, 
hatred, malice and revenge ; so that their state was made per- 
fectly happy. 

" At length, however, an event occurred, which interrupted 
their tranquillity, and introduced care and anxiety, until then 
unknown. A certain youth was noticed to withdraw himself 
from the circle of their social amusements. The solitary re- 
cesses of the grove became his favorite walks ; care and cha- 
grin were depicted in his countenance ; and his body, from long 
abstinence, presented to the view of his fi-iends the mere skele- 
ton of a man. Anxious solicitude in vain explored the cause 
of his grief; until, at length, debilitated both in body and mind, 
he yielded to the importunity of his associates, and promised to 
disclose the cause of his trouble, on condition that they would 
dig up by the roots a certain white-pine-tree, lay him on his 

* Dwight. 



ORIGINAL STATE OF THE COUNTRY, &c. 65 

blanket by the margin of the hole, and seat his wife by his side. 
In a moment all hands were ready. The fatal tree was taken 
up by the roots ; in doing which the earth was perforated, and 
a passage opened into the abyss below. The blanket was 
spread by the hole, the youth laid thereon, and his wife, then in 
a state of pregnancy, took her seat by his side. The multitude, 
eager to learn the cause of such strange and unusual conduct, 
pressed around ; when, on a sudden, to their horror and aston- 
ishment, he seized upon the woman, and precipitated her head- 
long into the regions of darkness below; then, rising from the 
ground, he informed the assembly that he had for some time 
suspected the chastity of his wife, and that, having now dispos- 
ed of the cause of his trouble, he should soon recover his usual 
health and vivacity. 

" All those amphibious animals, which now inhabit this world, 
then roamed through the watery waste, to which this woman in 
her fall was hastening. The loon first discovered her coming, 
and called a council in hast0»to prepare for her reception ; ob- 
serving that the animal which approached was a human being, 
and that earth was indispensably necessary for its accommoda- 
tion. The first subject of deliberation was, who should support 
the burden. The sea-bear first presented himself for a trial of 
his strength. Instantly, the other animals gathered round, and 
scrambled up upon his back ; while the bear, unable to support the 
weight, sunk beneath the surface of the water, and was, by the 
whole assembly, judged unequal to the task of supporting the 
earth. Several others, in succession, presented themselves as 
candidates for the honor, with similar success. Last of all, the 
turtle modestly advanced, tendering his broad shell as the basis 
of the earth, now about to be formed. The beasts then made 
trial of his strength to bear, heaping themselves upon his back ; 
and, finding their united pressure unable to sink him below the 
surface, adjudged to him the honor of supporting the world. 

" A foundation being thus provided, the next subject of de- 
liberation was, how to procure earth. It was concluded that it 
must be obtained from the bottom of the sea. Several of the 
most expert divers went in quest of it, and uniformly floated up 
dead to the surface of the water. The mink at length under- 
took the dangerous plunge ; rmd, after a long absence, arose 
6* 



66 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

dead On a critical examination, a small quantity of earth was 
discovered in one of his claws, which he had scratched from 
the bottom. This, being carefully preserved, was placed on the 
back of the turtle. 

" In the mean time the woman continued falling, and at 
length alighted on the turtle. The earth had already grown 
to the size of a man's foot, where she stood with one foot cover- 
ing the other. Shortly she had room for both feet, and was 
soon able to sit down. The earth continued to expand, and 
soon formed a small island, skirted with willow and other 
aquatic shrubbery ; and at length stretched out into a widely 
extended plain, interspersed with rivers and smaller streams, 
which, with gentle currents, moved forward their tributary wa- 
ters to the ocean. She repaired to the sea shore, erected a 
habitation, and settled in her new abode. 

" Not long after, she had a daughter, and was supported by 
the spontaneous productions of the earth until the child ar- 
rived to adult years. She was then addressed by several 
animals changed into the forms of young men; but they 
were rejected successively by the mother, until the turtle offer- 
ed himself as a suitor, and was received. After she had lain 
herself down to sleep, the turtle placed two arrows on her 
body in the form of a cross ; one headed with flint, the other 
with the rough bark of a tree., In due time she had two sons, 
but died in child-birth. 

^' The grandmother, enraged at her daughter's death, resolv- 
ed to destroy them, and, taking them both in her arms, threw 
them into the sea. Scarcely had she reached her weekwam, 
when the children overtook her at the door. The experiment 
was several times repeated, but in vain. Discouraged by this 
ill success, she concluded to let them live. Then, dividing the 
corpse of her daughter into two parts, she threw them up to- 
wards the heavens ; where one became the moon, and the other 
the sun. Then began the succession of day and night in our 
world. 

" The children speedily became men, and expert archers. 
The elder, whose name was Thamciskalau, had the arrow of 
the turtle which was pointed with flint, and killed with it the 
largest beasts of the forest. The younger, whose name was 



ORIGINAL STATE OF THE COUNTRY, &c. 67 

Taulongliijauivaugoon, had the arrow headed with bark. The 
former was, by his mahgnant disposition, and his skill and suc- 
cess in hunting, a favorite with his grandmother. They lived 
in the midst of plenty, but would not permit the younger 
brother, whose arrow was insufficient to destroy any thing 
larger than birds, to share in their abundance. 

" As this young man was wandering one day along the shore, 
he saw a bird perched upon a bough, projecting over the water. 
He attempted to kill it ; but his arrow, till that time unerring, 
flew wide of the mark, and sunk in the sea. He determined 
to recover it ; and, swimming to the spot where it fell, plunged 
to the bottom. Here, to his astonishment, he found himself in 
a small cottage. A venerable old man, who was sitting in it, 
received him with a smile of paternal complacency, and thus 
addressed him ; * My son, I welcome you to the habitation of 
your father. , To obtain this interview, I directed all the cir- 
cumstances which have conspired to bring you hither. Here 
is your arrow, and here is an ear of corn, which you will find 
pleasant and wholesome food. I have watched the unkindness 
of both your grandmother and your brother. His disposition 
is malignant and cruel. While he lives, the world can never 
be peopled. You must therefore take his life. When you re- 
turn home, you must traverse the whole earth, collect all the 
flints which you find into heaps, and hang up all the buckshorns. 
These are the only things of which your brother is afi-aid, or 
which can make any impression on his body, which is made of 
flint. They will furnish you with weapons always at hand, 
wherever he may direct his course.' 

" Havincr received these and other instructions from his 
father, the young man took his leave, and, returning again to 
the world, began immediately to obey his father's directions. 
After a series of adventures, which it is unnecessary here to 
repeat, the two brothers began a quarrel, in which the elder 
endeavored to destroy the younger, but, failing of his purpose, 
was attacked in his turn. As he fled, the earth trembled. A 
verdant plain, bounded by the distant ocean, lay before him. 
Behind him the ground sunk in deep valleys and frightful 
chasms, or rose into lofty mountains and stupendous precipices 
The streams ceased to roll in silence, and, bursting their 



68 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

barriers, poured down the cliffs in cataracts, or foamed through 
their rocky channels towards the ocean. 

" The younger brother followed the fugitive with a vigorous 
step, and wounded him continually with his weapons. At length, 
in a far distant region, beyond the savannahs in the south- 
west, he breathed his last, and loaded the earth with his flinty 
form.* The great enemy to the race of the turtle being de- 
stroyed, they came up out of the ground in the human form, 
and for some time multiplied in peace, and spread extensively 
over its surface. 

" The grandmother, roused to furious resentment for the loss 
of her darling son, resolved to be avenged. For many days 
successively, she caused the rain to descend from the clouds in' 
torrents, until the whole surface of the earth, and even the 
highest mountains, were covered. The inhabitants fled to their 
canoes, and escaped the impending destruction. The disap- 
pointed grandmother then caused the rains to cease, and the 
waters to subside. The inhabitants returned to their former 
dwellings. She then determined to effect her purpose in anoth- 
er manner, and covered the earth with a deluge of snow. To 
escape this new evil, they betook themselves to their snow-shoes, 
and thus eluded her vengeance. Chagrined, at length, by the^ie 
disappointments, she gave up the hope of destroying the whole 
human race at once, and determined to wreak her revenge 
upon them in a manner, which, though less violent, should be 
more efficacious. Accordingly, she has ever since been em- 
ployed in gratifying her malignant disposition, by inflicting upon 
mankind the various evils which are suffered in the present 
world. TaulongJiymacaugoon,i on the other hand, displays 
the infinite benevolence of his nature by bestowing on the 
human race the blessings which they enjoy, all of which flow 
from his bountiful providence. 

"The Iroquois, and probably all the other Indians, attributed 
in their superstition not only intelligence, but sanctity, to at 

* Supposed to intend the lofty range now called the Rocky mouri' 
tains. 

t Taulongkyamcaugoon, literally translated, is the * Holder or Supporter 
Cjf the heavens.^ This is the Being, who, in Indian speeches, by a cor- 
rupt translation, is called the Great Spirit, or Good Spirit. 



ORIGINAL STATE OF THE COUNTRY, &c. 69 

least many kinds of animals ; probably to all. This, also, 
was the general apprehension of the Hindoos, and, if I mis- 
take not, of many other Asiatic nations ; as it was, also, of 
the Egyptians. The sanctity of serpents — a doctrine remark- 
ably prevalent among the North American Indians — was a 
favorite scheme throughout the whole polytheistical world ; 
and images of these animals were formed in great numbers, 
both within and without the temples dedicated to idol worship. 

" The Iroquois professed to be descended from the turtle, 
the bear and the wolf. This descent, however, was not reck- 
oned from these beings as niere animals, but as intelligences 
endued with a portion of the divine, or, at least, a superior 
nature. The divinity ascribed by the Hindoos to the cow, 
they attributed to the turtle preeminently, to the bear, the 
wolf, the snake, and many other animals. Nor is there any 
thing more absurd in this than in Jupiter's adventure with 
Europa ; the birth of Alexander the Great, as announced by 
himself; or a multitude of other recitals presented to us in 
the Greek and Roman fable. 

" It is not a mere effort of the imagination to find, even in 
this monstrous mixture, some remains of real history. The 
story of the chaos, and the darkness by which it was covered — 
of paradise, and the happiness with which it was replenished — 
is not ill told at the beginning of this narrative, if we suppose 
an Indian to be the narrator. The existence of the deluge 
is distinctly marked, and the deliverance of the human race 
from its devastation. A few other facts may also be dis- 
tinctly discerned by a critical examiner."* 

Sec. IV. The Iroquois constituted a confed- 
erated republic, and were among the most re- 
markable of the American race. They occupied 
the greater part of this state, and had made 
considerable advances in the art of government. 
By their civil combinations and military talents, 
they acquired the supremacy over the numerous 

* D wight. 



70 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

and warlike nations by whom they were sur- 
rounded. 

They* had been in possession of the country for a long 
time previous to Hudson's discovery, but were not the orig- 
inal inhabitants of this part of North America. The Mohe- 
kaneevi^s universally considered themselves as the origipal 
inhabitants, and styled the Iroquois interlopers. The Iroquois 
are said to have admitted the fact, and gloried in it ; asserting 
that they had fought their vi^ay to their present possessions, 
and acquired their country by conquering all who had resisted 
them. 

That this united declaration is just, is amply supported by 
facts. The Mohekaneews were spread from the neighborhood 
of the Pacific ocean to the eastern shore of New England ; 
and remains of this nation are now to be found in small tribes, 
dispersed over a large part of North America. This is prov- 
ed unanswerably by their language. 

The Iroquois were planted in the midst of this widely- 
extended nation ; and appear to have had no other connexion 
with them than what is involved in wars, conquests and 
treaties, and nothing in common with them, besides the sav- 
age character, and its universal appendages. 

At the same time, they were almost invariably at war with 
some or other of the Mohekaneew tribes. With this spirit, 
and its necessary consequences, it is impossible that they 
should have made their way through the western branches of 
the Mohekaneews, or, in other words, through enemies dis- 
persed over a territory of near 3000 miles in extent, in any 
other manner than by conquest. 

Sec. V. The confederacyt of the Iroquois con- 
sisted, originally, of five nations — the Mohawks, 
the Oneidas, the Onondagas, the Cayugas, and 
the Senecas. The Mohawks had four towns 
and one small village, situated on or near the 
fertile banks of the river of that name. The 

/ * D wight. t Clinton. ^ 



ORIGINAL STATE OF THE COUNTRY, &c. 7J 

position of the first was the confluence of the 
Schoharie Creek and Mohawk river. The oth- 
ers were farther to the west. 

The Mohawks, from their martial renown and 
mihtary spirit, have not unfrequently given their 
name to the whole confederacy, which was often 
denominated the Mohawks in the annals of those 
days. This nation was always held in the great- 
est veneration by its associates, and they were 
declared by the other nations, "the true old heads 
of the confederacy." 

The Oneidas had their principal seat on the 
south of the Oneida lake ; the Onondagas, near 
the Onondaga, and the Cayugas, near the Cayu- 
ga lake. The principal village of the Senecas 
was near the Genesee river, about 20 miles from 
Irondequoit bay. 

Each nation was divided into three tribes — the 
Tortoise, the Bear and the Wolf. Each village 
was a distinct republic, and its concerns were 
managed by its peculiar chiefs. 

Their exterior relations, general interests, and 
national affairs, were conducted and superintend- 
ed by a great council, assembled annually at 
Onondaga, the central canton, composed of the 
chiefs of each republic ; and 80 sachems were 
frequently convened at this national assembly. 

It took cognizance of the great questions of 
war and peace, and of the affairs of the tributa- 
ry nations. All their proceedings were conduct- 
ed with great deliberation, and were distinguished 
for order, decorum and solemnity. 



72 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

A prominent feature in the character of the confederates 
was an exalted spirit of liberty, which revolted with equal in- 
dignation at domestic or foreign control. They esteemed 
themselves as sovereigns, accountable to none but God alone, 
whom they called the Great Spirit. They admitted no hered- 
itary distinctions. The office of sachem was the reward of 
personal merit, of great wisdom, of commanding eloquence, 
of distinguished services in the cabinet or in the field. 

Whatever superiority the Iroquois might have in war, they 
never neglected the use of stratagem. The cunning of the 
fox, the ferocity of the tiger, and the power of the lion, were 
united in their conduct. They preferred to vanquish their 
enemy by taking him oif his guard, by involving him in an 
ambuscade ; but, when emergencies rendered it necessary for 
them to face him in the open field, they exhibited a courage 
and contempt of death, which have never been surpassed.* 

" Upon the whole, the Iroquois have been a very extraordi- 
nary people. Had they enjoyed the advantages possessed by 
the Greeks and Rmoans, there is no reason to believe that 
they would have been at all inferior to these celebrated nations. 
Their minds appear to have been equal to any efforts within 
the reach of man. Their conquests, if we consider their 
numbers and their circumstances, were little inferior to those 
of Rome itself In their harmony, the unity of their opera-' 
lions, the energy of their character, the vastness, vigor and 
success of their enterprises, and the strength and sublimity 
of their eloquence, they may be fairly contrasted with the 
Greeks. Both the Greeks and the Romans, before they be- 
gan to rise into distinction, had already reached that state of 
society, in which men are able to improve. The Iroquois had 
not. The Greeks and Romans had ample means for improve- 
ment. The Iroquois had none."t 

Sec. VI. In the western and interior parts of 
the state, the remains of fortifications and other 
works of art have been discovered, bearing marks 
of great antiquity, and indicating the remote ex- 

* Clinton. t Dwiirht. 



ORIGINAL STATE OF THE COUNTRY, &c. 73 

istence of nations far more civilized than the 
indigenes of the present race, or any of the known 
tribes of North America. 

In Pompey,* Onondaga county, are vestiges of a town, the 
area of which included more than 500 acres. It was pro- 
tected by three circular or elliptical forts, eight miles distant 
from each other. They formed a triangle, which enclosed 
the town. From certain indications, this town seems to have 
been stormed and taken on the line of the north side. 

In Camillus, in the same county, are the remains of two 
forts, one covering about three acres, on a very high hill. It 
had one eastern gate, and a communication at the west, to- 
wards a spring, about ten rods from the fort. Its shape was 
elliptical. The ditch was deep, and the eastern wall ten 
feet high. 

The other fort is almost half a mile distant, on lower 
ground, constructed like the former, and about half as large. 
Shells of testaceous animals, numerous fragments of pottery, 
pieces of brick, and other signs of an ancient settlement, 
were found by the first European settlers. 

On the east bank of Seneca river, six miles south of Cross 
and Salt lakes, the remains of ancient Indian defence have 
been discovered, together with a delineation of ill-shapen 
figures, supposed to have been hieroglyphical, and engraved, 
as with a chisel, on a flat stone, 5 feet in length, S^ in breadth, 
and 6 inches thick ; evidently a sepulchral monument. 

The principal fortification was 220 yards in length, and 55 
yards in breadth. The bank and corresponding ditch were 
remarkably entire ; as were two apertures, opposite each 
other in the middle of the parallelogram, one opening to the 
water, and the other facing the forest. 

About half a mile south of the greater work was a large 
half moon, supposed to have been an outwork, but attended 
with this singularity, that the extremities of the crescent were 
fi-om the larger fort. The banks of the ditch, both of this 
and the first fortress, were covered with trees, that exhibited 
extremity of age. 

/* Yates and Moulton. 



74 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

The flat stone above mentioned was found over a small 
elevation in the great fort. Upon removing it, one of the 
visiting party dug up with his cane a piece of earthen vessel, 
which, from the convexity of the fragment, was supposed to 
contain two gallons. It was well burned, of a red color, and 
had its upper edge indented, as with the finger, in its im-^ 
pressionable state. 

Eastward these fortifications have been traced eighteen 
miles from Manlius Square ; and in Oxford, Chenango county, 
on the east bank of Chenango river, are the remains of 
another fort, remarkable for its great antiquity ; — northward, 
as far as Sandy creek, about fourteen miles from Sacket's 
Harbor, near which one covers fifty acres, and contains nu- 
merous fragments of pottery. 

Westward they are discovered in great number. There is 
a large one in the town of Onondaga, one in Scipio, two 
near Auburn, three near Canandaigua, and several between 
the Seneca and Cayuga lakes. A number of ancient fortifi- 
cations and burial-places have also been discovered in Ridge- 
way, Genesee county. 

Near the Tonewande creek, at the douhlc-fortijied town,* 
are some interesting antiquities, described by Dr. Kirkland. 
They are the remains of two forts. The first c<ontained about 
four acres, and the other, distant about two miles, and situ- 
ated at the other extremity of the ancient town, enclosed twice 
that quantity of ground. 

The ditch around the former was about five or six feet 
deep. A small stream of water, and a high bank, circum- 
scribed nearly one third of the enclosed ground. There were 
traces of six gates or avenues rpund the ditch, and, near the 
centre, a way was dug to the water. A considerable number 
of large, thrifty oaks had grown up within the enclosed ground, 
both in and upon the ditch ; some of them appeared to be at 
least two hundred years old or more. 

Near the northern fortification, which was situated on high 
ground, were found the remains of a funeral pile, probably 
the burying-place of the slain, who had fallen in some san- 

* This place is called by the Senecas Tcgataineaaghque, which im 
ports a double-fortified town, or a town with a fort at each end. 



ORIGINAL STATE OF THE COUNTRY, &c. 75 

gTiinary conflict. The earth was raised about six feet above 
the common surface, and betwixt 20 and 30 feet in diameter. 
The bones appeared on the whole surface of the raised earth, 
and stuck out in many piaces on the sides. 

" On the south side of lake Erie are a series of old fortifi- 
cations, from Cataraugus creek to the Pennsylvania line, a dis- 
tance of 50 miles. Some are from two to four miles apart, 
others half a mile only. Some contain five acres. The walls, 
or breastworks, are of earth, and generally on ground where 
there are appearances of creeks having once flov/ed into the 
lake, or where there was a bay. 

" Hence it is inferred that these works were on the former 
margin of lake Erie whence it has retreated from two to five 
miles northward. Further south, there is said to be another 
chain parallel with the first, about equidistant from the lake. 
Here the country exhibits two table grounds, formed by the 
recession of the lake. The one nearest the lake is lower, 
and is secondary. The primary alluvial ground was formed 
by the first retreat of the water, and then it is supposed the 
most southern line of fortifications was erected. In process 
of time, the lake receded farther to the north, leaving the 
other section of table land, on which the other tier of works was 
made. The soil in each is different, the inferior being adapt- 
ed to grass, the superior for grain ; and the timber varies in 
a correspondent manner. On the south of lake Ontario are 
two alluvial formations, of which the most recent is north of 
the ridge road. No forts have been discovered on it, although 
many have been observed south of the mountain ridge. The 
non-existence of forts on the secondary or primary alluvial 
formations of lake Ontario is a strong circumstance, from 
which the remote antiquity of those on the Highlands to the 
south may be deduced ; because, if they had been erected on 
the first or last retreat of the lake, they would undoubtedly 
have been made on them, as most convenient, and best adapt- 
ed for all military, civil and domestic purposes."* 

These vestiges of ancient fortified towns are widely scat- 
tered throughout the extensive territory of the Six Nations, 
and, by Indian report, in various other parts. There is one 

* Moulton. 



76 HISTORY OF NEW YORK 

on a branch of the Delaware river, which, from the size and 
age of some of the trees, that have grown on the banks and 
in the ditches, appears to have existed nearly 1,000 years, 
and perhaps for a still longer period. 

Sec. VII. These antiquities afford demonstra- 
tive evidence of the remote existence of a vast 
population settled in towns, defended by forts, 
cultivating agriculture, and more advanced in 
civilization than the nations which have inhabit- 
ed the same countries since the European dis- 
covery. 

They may be viewed as connecting links of a great chain, 
which extends beyond the confines of this state, and, be- 
coming more magnificent and curious as we recede from the 
northern lakes, passes through Ohio into the great vale of the 
Mississippi, thence to the gulf of Mexico, through Texas, and 
South America. 

In this vast range, of more than three thousand miles, these 
monuments of ancient skill gradually become more remarka- 
ble for their number, magnitude and interesting variety ; 
until we are lost in admiration and astonishment, to find in a 
world, which we call new, ancient institutions, religious ideas, 
and forms of edifices, similar to those in Asia, which there 
seem to go back to the dawn of civilization.* 

Sec. VIII. Concerning the authors of these 
works, we have no authentic account. The In- 
dians obviously know nothing in regard to them, 
and their traditions on this subject are vague, 
indefinite and contradictory. They must have 
existed a long time previous to European inter- 
course ; but their origin, the fortunes that at- 
tended them, and the disasters which effected 
their ruin, have alike been consigned to oblivion. 

* Moulton. 



ORIGINAL STATE OF THE COUNTRY, &c. 77 

The same obscurity rests on the origin of the numerous 
American tribes. That America was peopled from different 
quarters of the old world, and at different periods, appears to 
be the most probable conjecture. « 

Philosophers have identified portions of the American 
family with their Asiatic, European and African kindred. 
But to identify the whole with any primitive stock, except the 
common ancestors of all mankind, would, we believe, be 
impossible. 

The Indians of this state have been identified with the 
Tartars of Asia, and this theory is supported by many traits 
of resemblance. 

But, after so many ages have elapsed, so many intermixtures 
taken place, and with so little history, even of a traditionary 
kind, now before us, the subject will hardly repay the labor of 
investigation, and any conclusion, at which we might arrive, 
must be extremely precarious. 
7* 



78 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

CHAP. V. 

DISCOVERY AND SETTLEMENT. 

Discoveries of Columbus and the Cabots. Great 
River discovered by Hudson. Champlain'^s 
Expedition. Hudson detained in England. 
Dutch trade to the Great River. Licensed 
Trading Company. First Settlement. West 
India Compajiy. New Netherland. First 
Governor. Van Tiviller^s Administration. 
Kieft. Stuyvesant. Neiv Netherland surren- 
dered to the English. 

Sec. I. Christopher Columbus, a native of 
Genoa, was the first discoverer of America. In 
1492, he sailed from Spain, with a small fleet, 
under the patronage of Ferdinand and Isabella, 
then on the united thrones of Castile and Arra- 
gon, and, on the 12th of October, discovered 
San Salvador, one of the Bahama Islands. Co- 
lumbus took possession of the island in the name 
of Queen Isabella, and, after his return to Spain, 
made several other voyages, but did not dis- 
cover the continent of America until August 1 , 
1498, when he made the land now called Terra 
Firma, in South America. 

In 1497, John and Sebastian Cabot com- 
menced a voyage of discovery, under the patron- 
age of Henry VII. king of England. On the 
24th of June, they approached Newfoundland, 
and soon after made the first discovery of the 



DISCOVERY AND SETTLEMENT. 79 

continent of America, and ranged its coast from 
Labrador to Florida. The attention of all Eu- 
rope was excited by these enterprises, and 
numerous voyages were made for the purposes 
of discovery and settlement. In 1606, James I., 
king of England, for the purpose of planting 
two colonies, passed the great North and South 
Virginia patent, embracing the country from the 
34th to the 45th degree of north latitude. 
Jamestown, in Virginia, the first permanent set- 
tlement in North America, was founded the 
following year. 

Sec. II. On the 3d of September, 1609, the 
first European discoverer, of whom we have any 
knowledge, entered the southern waters of New 
York. Henry Hudson, an English navigator, in 
the service of the Dutch, anchored his ship with- 
in Sandy Hook, and soon after proceeded to 
New York bay, discovered Manhattan, and 
sailed into the river which has since borne his 
name. 

The discovery of a northern passage to the East Indies was 
at this time a subject of sanguine expectation, and an object 
of deep interest to the commercial world. For the attain- 
ment of this, a London company associated, and, in 1607, 
fitted out a ship under the command of Hudson. He pene- 
trated as far as 82° of north latitude, when the ice arrested 
his progress. After discovering Spitzbergen, and parts of 
Greenland before unknown to Europeans, he returned to 
England. 

In 1608, another expedition was fitted out, and Hudson 
made a second voyage under the same association. In the 
main object of the enterprise, he was again unsuccessful. 
The company then suspended their patronage. Hudson went 



80 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

to Holland, and entered into the service of the celebrated 
Dutch East India Company. 

A small ship, called the Half-Moon, was equipped, and in- 
trusted to his command. He left Amsterdam on the 4th of 
April, 1609, and once more encountered the inclemency of 
the northern seas. His progress was again intercepted by the 
ice, and he formed the design of visiting America, in hopes 
of making some discoveries, that might prove an indemnifi- 
cation for his failure in the north. 

He arrived off the banks of Newfoundland early in July, 
and, after coasting as far south as Virginia, and experiencing 
severe gales, on the 2d of September he espied the Highlands 
of Neversink, anchored his ship within Sandy Hook on the 
3d, and on the following day is said to have made his first 
landing on Coney Island, opposite Gravesend. 

Here they found the soil chiefly of white sand, and on it 
vast numbers of plum-trees loaded with fruit, and many of 
them surrounded and covered with grape-vines of different 
kinds. While the ship lay at anchor, the natives from the 
Jersey shore came on board, rejoiced at the sight of their 
new visitors, and brought green tobacco, which they gave for 
trifles. They wore loose deer-skins well dressed. While the 
boat proceeded to sound the bay, the shores were observed to 
be lined with men, women and children. The crew went on 
land, and made a short excursion into the woods of Mon- 
mouth county, New Jersey, and were kindly treated by the 
natives. Among the presents they received were sweet dried 
currants, some of which were also brought on board by those 
who visited the ship. 

Hudson, discovering that the bay was the entrance to what 
appeared to be an extensive river, sent his boat, with five men, 
who passed, and sounded through the Narrows, and discovered 
the Kills between Staten Island and Bergen Neck. They 
proceeded six miles into the bay of New York, and then 
turned back. While on their return, the men were attacked 
by two canoes containing 2G Indians. John Colman, an 
Englishman, who had accompanied Hudson in his first attempt 
to penetrate the polar circle, was shot with an arrow in the 



DISCOVERY AND SETTLEMENT. 81 

neck, and two others wounded. The Indians, perhaps, met 
them unexpectedly, were surprised and frightened, shot at 
them, and made off as fast as they could ; for it does not ap- 
pear that they attempted to take the two unwounded men and 
their boat, as they might, no doubt, have done, then or after- 
wards. Upon their arrival at the ship with their slain com- 
rade, he was interred at Sandy Hook, and the point named 
Colman's Point. 

The boat was hoisted into the ship, and every precaution 
taken to guard against an attack. It was expected, that this 
first instance of hostility would have broken oif all intercourse 
with the natives ; but, on the second day after the death of 
Colman, they brought Indian wheat (corn) and tobacco, 
traded freely, and offered no violence. The next day they 
repeated their visits, but armed with bows and arrows, and in 
greater numbers, with apparently hostile intention. They 
were not suffered to board, except two, who were kept. The 
rest returned, when a canoe came out with two only, one of 
whom was also taken, with a view of keeping him with the 
others, probably as hostages for the good behavior of their 
friends. The last one, however, jumped up, and leaped over- 
board. On the 11th, Hudson passed through the Narrows 
into the New York bay, and, on the following day, entered 
the mouth of the North river, and came to anchor. He 
then made immediate preparation to explore the river, and 
sailed up on the 13th. In this expedition, he took with him 
the two Indians, whom he had detained on board, as far as 
West Point, where they had the address to make their escape 
by leaping from the port, and swimming to the shore.* 

Sec. III. Hudson passed one month in ex- 
ploring the extent of his discovery. Early in 
October, he put to sea, with the intention of re- 
turning to Holland. A mutiny having risen 
among the crew, he was compelled to land in 
England, where he was detained, by an exercise 
of the royal prerogative.^ 

* Moulton. 



82 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

While examining the country, Hudson as- 
cended the river with the " Half-Moon" as far 
as Albany, and with his boat probably reached 
the spot upon which is the village of Waterford. 
In the course of this excursion, he had frequent 
interviews with the natives. 

In consequence of the delay occasioned by adverse winds, 
Hudson was 11 days in ascending, and 11 in returning. 
During these delays, he occupied his time chiefly in making 
observations upon the country, and in. traffic with the natives. 
During his ascent, and while at Albany, his interviews with 
the natives appear to have been friendly. Though sometimes 
suspected by him of hostile intentions, they were uniformly 
peaceable in their deportment. At most of these interviews 
between Hudson and the Indians, there was an exchange of 
presents ; and their intercourse, generally, was distinguished 
only by mutual acts of kindness. His return, however, was 
characterized by occurrences of a different nature. 

While at anchor in the vicinity of Stony Point, the natives, 
as usual, " came flocking to the ship, expressing their wonder 
and astonishment to behold a vessel so superior to their ca- 
noes, and weapons so much more terrible than their own. 
Anxious to carry away to their friends some part of this float- 
ing world of wonders, and not satisfied with the trifles they 
received in return for skins, one of the canoes, with one man 
in it, lurked about the stern with a thievish tardiness, notwith- 
standing he was warned off. Watching an opportunity, he at 
length crawled up the rudder into the cabin window, and 
stole a pillow and a few articles of wearing apparel. The 
mate shot at the poor pilferer, and killed him. The rest fled 
panic-struck, and, in their precipitance, some leaped into the 
water. The ship's boat was manned, and sent to recover the 
articles. One of those who had leaped into the water got hold 
of the boat, for the purpose of overturning it, (as was thought,) 
but the cook stood ready with his sword, and with one blow 
cut off one of his hands, and he was drowned. This was the 
first Indian blood shed during the voyage. With this mighty 
revenge for a trifling injury, they returned to the ship, weigh 



DISCOVERY AND SETTLEMENT. 83 

ed anchor, and sailed six miles, when, it being dark, they an- 
chored near Teller's Point, off the mouth of Croton river, 
near the entrance into Tappan sea. At daybreak, (2d Octo- 
ber,) they again sailed with a fair wind, till the tide set too 
strong against them, when they came to anchor near fort 
Washington and fort Lee, at the upper end of Manhattan 
Island. The two captive Indians, who escaped at West Point, 
had, it might appear, made their way on the west side of the 
river, rousing on their return the spirits of Sleepy Hollow,* 
or the more ferocious Manhattae,t and at the head of the 
Manhattan Island, probably in the inlet of Harlaem river, 
they had concentrated a force that impatiently awaited the 
arrival of the rich booty, which they flattered themselves they 
should obtain. The ship soon appeared, and was hove to 
near the vicinity of their place of ambush. One of the 
savages who had escaped came out with many others, armed 
with bows and arrows. But Hudson, discovering no friendly 
intention in their approach, suffered none of them to enter 
the ship. Thereupon, two canoes, full of men, fell back near 
the stern, and discharged a volley of arrows upon the ship. 
In retaliation, six muskets were fired, and two or three Indians 
killed. Meantime the main body of the Indians advanced to 
the point of land, (at fort Washington,) and discharged their 
arrows as the vessel moved slowly along. A cannon was fired 
on board, and two of the Indians fell ; the remainder fled to 
the woods. Still resolute in their plan, though discomfited in 
•its onset, about a dozen of the boldest and most desperate 
jumped into a canoe, and advanced to meet the ship. An- 
other cannon was discharged, their canoe shot through, and 
one man killed. The men stationed on the deck also fired, 
and killed three or four more. This terminated the desultory 
sea-fight, in which nine fell victims to their temerity. The 
assailants * went their way,' and the ship, after sailing two 
leagues, anchored beyond the reach of danger, in what ap- 
peared to be a bay near Weehawken, or Hoboken, opposite 
New York. Here they rode all night, but experienced much 

* Of the Mahicanni nation, a little north-west of White Plains in 
West-Chester. See Irving's Sketch Book. 
t Who probably extended to Tappan bay. 



84 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

wind and rain. The next day (3d) was very stormy, the 
anchor was driven home in a violent gust, and the ship went 
aground ; but the wind, suddenly changing, drove her off, the 
ground being oozy. 

" On the fourth of October, Hudson left * the great mouth 
of the great river,' and with all sails set put to sea, and sailed 
south-east by east. 

" Thus, after spending a month of almost uniformly fine 
weather, but suffering the apprehension of shipwreck, in con- 
sequence of the vessel being three times driven on shore, and 
half a dozen times run aground ; after meeting a more friend- 
ly reception, and realizing a more profitable trade, from the 
natives on the west side of the river, than from those 
on the eastern ; losing one man, and killing ten, — Hudson 
completed a discovery, the benefits and glory of which 
he could neither foresee nor appreciate. His character 
throughout appears to have been marked with mildness 
and dignity. 

" When justly provoked by the first aggression of the In- 
dians in the death of Colman, he sought no retaliation. The 
mate alone was implicated by the death of the Indian, whose 
rash curiosity had led him to pilfer some trifles; and the sub- 
sequent sacrifice of life was caused in self-defence."* 

The Iroquois have a curious tradition with regard to the 
first interview with the whites. They say, that, " A long time 
ago, before men with a white skin had ever been seen, some * 
Indians, fishing at a place where the sea widens, espied some- 
thing at a distance moving upon the water. They hurried 
ashore, collected their neighbors, who together returned, and 
viewed intensely this astonishing phenomenon. What it 
could be, bafiled all conjecture. Some supposed it a large 
fish or animal, others that it v/as a very big house floating on 
the sea. Perceiving it moving towards land, the spectators 
concluded that it would be proper to send runners in different 
directions, to carry the news to their scattered chiefs, that 
they might send off for the immediate attendance of their 
warriors. These arriving in numbers to behold the sight, 

* Moulton. 



DISCOVERY AND SETTLEMENT. 85 

and perceiving that it was actually moving tov^^ards them, 
(i. e. coming into the river or bay,) they conjectured that it 
must be a remarkable large house, in which the Manitto (or 
Great Spirit) was coming to visit them. They were much 
afraid, and yet under no apprehension that the Great Spirit 
would injure them. They worshipped him. The chiefs now 
assembled at York Island, and consulted in what manner 
they should receive their Manitto. Meat was prepared for a 
sacrifice. The women were directed to prepare the best of 
victuals. Idols or images were examined and put in order. 
A grand dance, they thought, would be pleasing, and, in addi- 
tion to the sacrifice, might appease him if angry. The con- 
jurors were also set to work to determine what this phenome- 
non portended, and what the result would be. To these, 
men, women and children looked up for advice and protec- 
tion. Utterly at a loss what to do, and distracted alternately 
by hope and fear, in this confusion, a grand dance commenced. 
Meantime fresh runners arrived, declaring it to be a great 
house of various colors, and full of living creatures. It now 
appeared certain that it was their Manitto, probably bringing 
some new kind of game. Others, arriving, declared it posi- 
tively to be full of people of different color and dress from 
theirs, and that one in particular appeared altogether red. 
This, then, must be the Manitto. They were lost in admira- 
tion ; could not imagine what the vessel was, whence it came, 
or what all this portended. They are now hailed from the 
vessel in a language they could not understand. They answer 
by a shout or yell in their way. The house (or large canoe, 
as some render it) stops. A smaller canoe comes on shore 
with the red man in it ; some stay by his canoe to guard it. 
The chiefs and wise men form a circle, into which the red 
man and two attendants approach. He salutes them with 
friendly countenance, and they return the salute after their 
manner. They are amazed at their color and dress, particu- 
larly with him who, glittering in red, wore something (per- 
haps lace and buttons) they could not comprehend. He must 
be the great Manitto, they thought ; but why should he have a 
white skin 1 A large elegant hockhack (gourd, i. e. bottle, 
decanter, ^c.) is brought by one of the supposed Manitto*s 
8 



86 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

servants, from which a substance is poured into a small cup 
or glass, and handed to the Manitto. He drinks, has the glass 
refilled and handed to the chief near him. He takes it, smells 
it, and passes it to the next, who does the same. The glass 
in this manner is passed round the circle, and is about to be 
returned to the red-clothed man, when one of them, a great 
warrior, harangues them on the impropriety of returning the 
cup unemptied. It was handed to them, he said, by the 
Manitto, to drink out of, as he had. To follow his example, 
would please him ; to reject it, might provoke his wrath. And, 
if no one else would, he would drink it himself, let what 
would follow ; for it were better for one even to die, than a 
whole nation to be destroyed. He then took the glass, smell- 
ed at it, again addressed them, bidding adieu, and drank the 
contents. All eyes were now fixed (on the first Indian in 
New York, who had tasted the poison, which has since effect- 
ed so signal a revolution in the condition of the native 
Americans.) He soon began to stagg-er. The women cried, 
supposing him in fits. He rolled on the ground. They be- 
moan his fate. They thought him dying. He fell asleep. 
They at first thought he had expired, but soon perceived he 
still breathed. He awoke, jumped up, and declared he never 
felt more happy. He asked for more, and the whole assem- 
bly, imitating him, became intoxicated. After this intoxica- 
tion ceased, (during its continuance the whites confined 
themselves to their vessel,) the man with red clothes returned, 
^nd distributed beads, axes, hoes and stockings. They soon 
became familiar, and conversed by signs. The whites made 
them understand that they would now return home, but the 
next year they would visit them again with presents, and stay 
with them awhile ; but that, as they could not live without eat- 
ing, they should then want a little land to sow seeds, in order 
to raise herbs to put into their broth. Accordingly, a vessel 
arrived the season following, when they were much rejoiced to 
see each other ; but the whites laughed when they saw the axes 
and hoes hanging, as ornaments, to their breasts, and the stock- 
ings used as tobacco pouches. The whites now put handles 
(or helves) in the former, and cut down trees before their eyes, 
and dug the ground, and showed them the use of the stock- 



1 



DISCOVERY AND SETTLEMENT. 87 

ings. Here they say a general laughter ensued, to think they 
had remained ignorant of the use of these things, and had 
borne so long such heavy metal suspended around their 
necks. Familiarity daily increasing between them and the 
whites, the latter now proposed to stay with them, asking 
them only for so much land as the hide of a bullock spread 
before them would cover or encompass. They granted the 
request. The whites took a knife, and, beginning at one 
place on this hide, cut it up to a rope not thicker than the 
finger of a little child. They then took the rope, and drew 
it gently along in a circular form, and took in a large piece 
of ground. The Indians were surprised at their superior wit, 
but they did not contend with them for a little ground, as 
they had enough. They lived contentedly together for a long 
time ; but the i?ew comers from time to time asked for more 
land, which was readily obtained. And thus they gradually 
proceeded higher up the Mahicannittuck, (Hudson river,) 
until they began to believe they would want all their country, 
which proved eventually the case."* 

Sec. IV. While Hudson was exploring the 
southern waters of the state, a party under the 
patronage of the French were making similar 
discoveries at the north. Samuel Champlain, at 
the head of the* Algonquins and Hurons, and in 
a warlike expedition against the Iroquois, dis- 
covered and sailed through the lake that now 
bears his name. He landed, and had a success- 
ful engagement with the Iroquois in the vicinity 
of Ticonderoga.f 

Champlain, at this time, had the direction of the French 
settlements in Canada ; and his object in this expedition was 
to secure the friendship of the neighboring Algonquins, and 
to weaken the power of their common enemy, the Iroquois. 
He embarked with his new allies at Quebec, sailed up the St. 
Lawrence, entered and sailed up the Sorelle, until the rapids 

* Moulton, originally MSS. in possession of the JV*. F. Hist. Sac. 
t Holmes places this event in 1611. 



88 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

near Chambly prevented the progress of his vessel. Upon 
this unexpected impediment, which the duplicity of his allies 
had previously concealed from his knowledge, his vessel re- 
turned ; but he, with two other Frenchmen, who would not 
desert him, determined to proceed. They transported their 
canoes above the rapids, then re-entered the river, and con- 
tinued their route to the lake. The waters of the river and 
lake swarmed with fish, and the islands were filled with deer 
and other animals, which afforded a plentiful supply of pro- 
visions for the army. 

Champlain was much amused by the blind confidence which 
the Indians paid to their soothsayer, or sorcerer, who, at one 
of their encampments, went through with his terrific ceremo- 
ny. After having for several days inquired of Champlain if 
he had not seen the Iroquois in a dream, and being answered 
in the negative, they became greatly disquieted. At last, to 
relieve their embarrassment, and avoid their importunity, he 
told them he had, in a dream, seen the Iroquois drowning in 
a lake, but that he did not rely altogether upon the dream. 
The Indians thought otherwise, and regarded the dream as 
the sure prelude of victory. 

After having entered the lake, they traversed it, until they 
approached the outlet of lake George, near Ticonderoga. It 
was their design to pass the rapids between the two lakes, 
and make an irruption into the country of the Iroquois, be- 
yond lake George, and surprise some of their villages. The 
Iroquois, however, suddenly made their appearance at 10 
o'clock at ni?;ht, and, by accident, met their invaders on the 
Great lake. Both parties, mutually surprised, expressed their 
joy by loud acclamations, and, as they were not accustomed 
to fight on the water, huriied to the shore. They landed at 
or near Ticonderoga, and the allies sent a messenger to the 
Iroquois to adjust the preliminaries of the engagement. It 
was resolved to await the approach of day, and both parties 
encamped for the night. 

The parties were nearly equal in numbers, but the allies, 
depending on the fire-arms of the French, displayed only a 
part of their warriors. At break of day, Champlain placed his 
two Frenchmen and some savages in the wood, to attack the 



DISCOVERY AND SETTLEMENT. 89 

enemy in flank. The allies first made a sortie, and ran two 
hundred feet in front of the enemy, then stopped, and divided 
into two bands, when Champlain, advancing to the centre, 
placed himself at their head. At the first report of his 
arquebuse, from the spot where he had posted four men, the 
Iroquois saw two of their chiefs fall dead, and the third 
dangerously wounded. The allies shouted, and discharged a 
few ineffective arrows. Champlain and the other Frenchmen 
recharged their pieces, and continued the fight. This was 
the first time the Iroquois had ever witnessed the effects of 
fire-arms ; and, filled with consternation and dismay at this 
new mode of destruction, they soon fled in confusion. They 
Wi?re hotly pursued, and many were killed, and taken prison- 
ers. The conquerors were beginning to suffer for provisions, 
but obtained seasonable relief from the maize which the fu- 
gitives, in the hurry of flight, had abandoned. After feasting 
and dancing on the field of battle, the allies prepared to return 
homeward. On their w^ay, they tortured one of their prison- 
ers, whose miseries Champlain humanely ended. 

Sec. y. Hudson, on his arrival in England, 
being forbidden by the English government to 
return to Holland, or again enter the service 
of the Dutch, re-entered the service of the Lon- 
don company, which had patronised him in his 
two first voyages. 

He transmitted to the Dutch East India di- 
rectors the journal of his recent voyage, with 
an account of his discoveries ; and the '' Half- 
Moon," after being some time detained at Dart- 
mouth, was permitted to return to Amsterdam, 
where she arrived early in 1610. In April of 
the same year, Hudson was again sent out, by 
the London company, on a northern expedition, 
from which he never returned. 

The last voyage and tragical fate of this distinguished navi- 

8* 



90 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

gator are subjects, to which we cannot advert without the 
most painful emotions. After encountering for a long time 
the dangers of the northern seas, a mutiny broke out among 
the crew, and Hudson, with eight others, was placed in an 
open boat, and abandoned to the tempests of those inhospita- 
ble regions. 

Nothing more has ever been heard from them ; and they 
probably either perished in a storm, or by the more protract- 
ed horrors of famine. The English deeply lamented the loss 
of a countryman, whose achievements as a navigator had reflect- 
ed honor on a nation already distinguished for its illustrious 
seamen. Hudson's personal qualities and virtues, displayed 
during his four voyages, at times which were calculated -^ 
try character, will ever be contemplated with pleasure and 
admiration. 

Sec. VI. 1610. The Dutch East India Com- 
pany fitted out a ship for a second visit to the 
newly-discovered land, for the purpose of trade. 
The only object was a cargo of furs, but the 
voyage was more important in its consequences, 
being the prelude to the fur trade, which led to 
the subsequent colonization of the country. 

The directors of the East India Company, who had pat- 
ronised Hudson's design of a northern passage to India, 
though disappointed in this object, appreciated his minor dis- 
covery. They looked to the Great River, and anticipated in 
the fur trade an indemnity for past expenses. This article 
could now be obtained from the Indians in America on more 
advantageous terms than formerly from the north of Europe. 

The voyage was successful, and therefore repeated. The 
fame of its profits, and of the country, stimulated adventurers ; 
and, within three years, much competition arose in this new 
branch of the commerce of Holland. 

The effects of this rivalry were sensibly felt by those who 
had seconded Hudson's voyage. A memorial was therefore 
presented to their High Mightinesses, the Lords States Gene- 



DISCOVERY AND SETTLEMENT. 91 

ral, stating, that they, who had incurred the expense and risk 
of originating discoveries, were prevented, by an unjust com- 
petition, from realizing an adequate remuneration. 

Sec. VII. 1614. The States passed an edict, 
on the 27th of March, that " all persons, who had 
discovered, or might discover, any rivers, bays 
or harbors, or countries before unknown, should 
enjoy, besides other advantages, the exclusive 
trade there for four successive voyages." This 
act was the foundation of the Amsterdam Li- 
censed Trading West India Company. 

The members of this company had a double object — to se- 
cure the possession of the Great River by fortifications, and 
to extend their commercial privileges under the edict by the 
discovery of circumjacent places. Two ships, commanded by 
Adriaan Blok and Hendrik Christiaanse, were the same year 
fitted out for the accomplishment of this purpose. 

Blok arrived first at Manhattan, but his ship was accident- 
ally burned. He erected on the shore of the river a small 
vessel,* the first specimen of marine architecture, superior to 
a canoe, which had probably ever been constructed here, and 
the first ocular demonstration to the Indians of the pre-emi- 
nent intelligence and skill of the Europeans. In this vessel, 
he sailed from the Great River on a voyage of exploration 
and discovery. He proceeded to Cape Cod, where he met 
Christiaanse's ship, in which he embarked, leaving his yacht 
to be used by a fishing party. They then proceeded to exam- 
ine the coast and neighboring islands, discovered Naragan- 
set bay, and the Connecticut river, which was thoroughly 
explored. After completing their discoveries, and spending 
some time in fishing, and traffic with the natives, they returned 
to the Great River, to superintend the establishment of a fortified 
settlement. 

Sec. VIII. In the fall of 1614, the first forti- 
fied settlement was established on Castle Island, 

* Yacht, 44^ feet long on deck, 11^ wide. 



92 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

a short distance below Albany. In the following 
year, 1615, a similar establishment was effected 
at Manhattan, on an elevated spot near the 
southern extremity of the island.* 

It has been affirmed, that, as early as 1613, an insignificant 
warehouse was erected on a small island just below Albany ; 
and that, in 1614, four houses were on the island of Man- 
hattan. 

If such was the fact, they must have been temporary in 
design, and consequently frail in structure ; for it is hardly 
probable, that any fortified or permanent settlement could 
have been contemplated so long as the country was unappro- 
priated, and its trade participated by all adventurers. 

Sec. IX. In 1617, the fort on Castle Island 
was abandoned in consequence of the high floods, 
and a new fortification erected a few miles south, 
on the shore of Nordtman's Kill. About the 
same time, a treaty with the Iroquois was here 
concluded in all the primitive solemnity which 
characterized the public transactions of the In- 
dians. This treaty was preserved in good faith, 
and was highly conducive to the prosperity of 
the Dutch, and the ascendency which the Iro- 
quois so long maintained over the other Indians 
of North America. t 

These establishments must, at this period, be viewed as 
purely of a military and commercial character. Nothing fur- 
ther was contemplated until 1620, when the Dutch conceived 
the project of forming a great national society, and, under its 
auspices, a permanent settlement on the Great River. 

Sec. X. 1621. On the third of June, the 
grant was obtained from their High Mightinesses, 

* On the site of the Macomb houses in Broadway, New York. 
i Moulton. 



DISCOVERY AND SETTLEMENT. 93 

the States General, for the establishment and 
organization of the Privileged West Indian Com- 
pany. 

The Amsterdam Licensed Trading Company, 
with all its rights to the trade and territory of the 
new world, became merged in this national soci- 
ety, which, being endowed with more ample pow- 
ers and greater resources, would be able to es- 
tablish fortifications and settlements on a strong- 
er and more enlarged basis. 

Sec. XI. In 1623, the first ship of the West 
Indian Company arrived at the Great River. — 
The name of Belgium^ or New Netherlands was 
bestowed upon the country. 

This name was intended to comprehend the 
country discovered by Hudson ; and though its 
boundaries became involved in doubt and con- 
troversy, yet it was apparently understood, at 
that time, by the Dutch, to extend from the Del- 
aware river to Cape Cod. 

Two forts were, this year, (1623,) commenced — fort New 
Amsterdam, on a commanding elevation, south of the original 
redoubt on Manhattan, and fort Orange, on the west bank of 
the Hudson at Albany. 

Sec. XII. In 1625, the West Indian Company 
freighted two ships, in one of which the first 
governor, or director, Peter Minuit, arrived in 
New Netherland. 

The first emigrants under Minuit appear to 
have been from the river Waal, in Guelderland, 
and, under the name of IVaaloons, founded the 
first permanent settlement beyond the immediate 



94 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

protection of the cannon of fort Amsterdam, 
They settled on Long Island, at the bend of the 
shore opposite Manhattan. 

They were the first who professionally pursued agricul- 
ture. Temporary locations, for other purposes, had been 
made at other places. The limited extent of settlements, the 
single condition, and peculiar pursuits of those who had ar- 
rived previous to this period, may be inferred from the fact, 
that, in June of the present year, the first child of European 
parentage was born in New Netherland.* 

Sec. XIII. For some years, the settlements 
progressed but sloAvly. In 1629, the company 
adopted a charter of " Liberties and exemptions 
for patroons, masters, and private individuals, 
who should plant colonies in New Netherland, or 
import thither any neat cattle." "^ 

The liberality of this charter towards patroons induced 
Goodyn, Bloemart, Van Renselaer, and others of the com- 
missioners of New Netherland, to send Wouter Van T wilier, 
as agent, to inspect the condition of the country, and the pur- 
chase of lands from the natives, for the purpose of settlement. 
During this and the subsequent year, several purchases were 
made. 

Sec. XIV. 1633. Minuit was recalled, and 
Wouter Van Twiller arrived at fort Amsterdam 
with sole power as governor of New Netherland. 

Disturbances in the colony, which, by some, have been at- 
tributed to the influence of Van Twiller, during his first visit, 
occasioned the recall of Minuit. The arrival of Van Twiller 
as governor gave a fresh impulse to the settlements, and ag- 
ricultural pursuits, which, under Minuit, had been less flour- 
ishing than the commercial concerns of the colony. Under 
Minuit's administration, commerce had increased, the exports 
having nearly doubled, while the imports gradually diminished. 

* Sarah Rapaelje, daughter of Jan Joris Rapaelje. 



DISCOVERY AND SETTLEMENT. 95 

In its course of nine years, the whole amount of exports was 
nearly 200,000 dollars in value; while the imports were a 
little more than 100,000 dollars. During Van Twiller's ad- 
ministration originated the controversy occasioned by the 
encroachments of the English, which afterwards proved the 
source of so much rancorous, but bloodless hostility. 

Sec. XV. 1638. William Kieft succeeded 
Van Twiller as governor of New Netherland. 
Two years after the commencement of his ad- 
ministration, the English had overspread the 
eastern part of Long Island, and advanced to 
Oyster bay. 

Kieft broke up their settlement in 1642, and 
fitted out two sloops to drive the English out of 
the Schuylkill, of which the Marylanders had 
lately possessed themselves. 

The English from the eastward soon after sent deputies to 
New Amsterdam, for the accommodation of their disputes 
about limits. We do not learn, however, that any settlement 
resulted from their negotiations. 

The English were continually becoming more powerful, 
and constantly extending their possessions. In 1643, the col- 
onies of Massachusetts Bay, Plymouth, Connecticut and New 
Haven entered into a league, both against the Dutch and 
Indians, and are said to have met, shortly after, upon a design 
of extirpating the former. 

In addition to the New England controversies, the Dutch 
appear to have suffered, about the close of Kieft's administra- 
tion, from the hostilities of the Indians. In 1646, a severe 
battle was fought on a part of Strickland's Plain, called Horse 
Neck, The battle was contested with mutual obstinacy and 
fury, and great numbers were killed on both sides. The 
Dutch ultimately kept the field. 

Sec. XVI. 1647. Peter Stuyvesant arrived 
at fort Amsterdam as governor, and laid claim 



96 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

to all the lands, rivers and streams from Cape 
Henlopen to Cape Cod. Three years after, he 
went to Hartford, and demanded a surrender to 
the Dutch of all the lands on Connecticut river. 

After a controversy of several days, the subject 
was left to the decision of arbitrators, who con- 
cluded articles of adjustment with regard to 
boundaries and occupancy of lands already set- 
tled. 

Long Island was divided ; the eastern part was to be held 
by the English, the western by the Dutch. On the main, the 
boundaries were amicably adjusted. The Dutch were to 
hold the lands on Connecticut river, of which they were then 
possessed ; the residue, on each side of the river, to belong to 
the English. 

Sec. XVII. 1664. Charles the Second, king 
of England, fearful of the consequences of hav- 
ing the Dutch settled in the midst of his colonies, 
determined to dispossess them, and, for this 
purpose, made a grant to his brother, the duke 
of York and Albany, of all the territory claimed 
by the Dutch, together with other parts of North 
America. 

The patent included all the main land of New England, 
beginning at St. Croix, extending to the rivers Connecticut 
and Hudson, " together with the said river called Hudson's 
river, and all the lands from the west side of Connecticut river 
to the east side of Delaware bay." Col. Richard Nichols, 
with several others, was commissioned to *ake possession in 
the king's name, and to exercise jurisdiction. 

Sec. XVIII. Nichols, with four frigates and 
300 soldiers, appeared before Manhattan, and 
demanded the surrender of the fort. As the 
fort was in no condition for defence, Stuyvesant, 



DISCOVERY AND SETTLEMENT. ' 97 

after some negotiation, was compelled to surren- 
der on the 27th of August, 1664. The most 
liberal terms of capitulation were granted. 

By the terms of surrender, the governor and 
inhabitants were to become British subjects, to 
possess their estates without molestation, and 
enjoy their modes of worship without hinderance. 
New Amsterdam was now called, in honor of the 
duke of York, New York; and fort Orange, which 
surrendered soon after, was called Albany, 

The squadron then sailed for the Delaware, to reduce the 
Dutch and Swedes on that bay and river, who soon were 
compelled to surrender to the English. 

Col. Nichols represented the town of New York as being, 
at this time, " composed of a few miserable houses, occupied 
by men extremely poor, and the whole in a mean condition." 
He, however, prognosticated its future greatness, if indulged 
with the immunities which he then recommended. 
9 



98 HISTORY OF NEW YORK, 

CHAP. VI. 

FROM 1665 TO 1*710. 

Administration of Nichols. Lovelace, Neiv York 
retaken by the Dutch, and soon after restored to 
the English, Andros, Dongan, Revolution, 
Leisler, Sloughter, Bellomont, War with 
the French, ^c. 

Sec. I. 1665. Nichols, having taken posses- 
sion of the country, assumed the government, 
with the title of *' deputy-governor, under his 
royal highness the duke of York, of all his ter- 
ritories in America." He next proceeded to 
erect a court of assizes, consisting of the gov- 
ernor, council, and justices of the peace, who 
now commenced the compilation of a body of 
laws. 

The court of assizes collected into one code the ancient 
customs and usages, with such additional improvements as the 
great change of things required, regarding the laws of Eng- 
O land as the supreme rule. These ordinances were transmitted 
to England, and confirmed by the duke of York the following 
year. A dispute having risen between the inhabitants of Ja- 
maica, on Long Island, respecting Indian deeds, it was 
ordained, that no purchase from the Indians, without the 
governor's license, executed in his presence, should be valid." 
The English methods of government were gradually introduced 
into the province.* 

On the 12th of June, the inhabitants of New 
York were incorporated under the care of a 

< — — — — — i 

* Holmes's Annals 



FROM 16G5 TO 1710. 99 

mayor, five aldermen, and a sheriff. Previous 
to this time, the city was ruled by a scout, bur- 
gomasters, and schepens. 

" The hostilities which the French, upon their first discov- 
ery of the country, had commenced with the Iroquois, were 
still continued ; and the latter, by their irruptions into Cana- 
da, not only obstructed the commerce of the French with the 
western Indians, but often endangered their colony. In 
}666, a large expedition was fitted out to punish and repel 
these incursions. M. de Tracy, viceroy of America, and M. 
Courcelles, goverzior of Canada, with 28 companies of foot, 
and all the militia of the colony, marched from Quebec above 
700 miles into the Mohawk country, with the intention of de- 
stroying its inhabitants ; but, on their approach, the Mohawks 
retired into the woods with their women and children, and 
the French effected nothino- more than to burn several vil- 
lages, and murder some sachems, who chose to die rather 
than to desert their habitations. The ill success of the French 
on the one hand, and the Indians' fear of fire-arms on the other, 
brought about a peace the following year."* 

Sec. IL 1667. After having for three years 
exercised the government with integrity and 
ability, Nichols resigned. Col. Francis Love- 
lace was appointed by the duke to succeed him. 
Under Lovelace, the affairs of the colony were 
happily administered, until its re-surrender to th 
Dutch, which put an end to his power, and is 
the only event that signalized his administration. 

At the close of his administration, Nichols returned to 
England. During his residence here, his time was mostly 
occupied in confirming the ancient Dutch grants. He assid- 
uously devoted himself to the concerns of the colony, exer- 
cising the highest judicial, as well as legislative authority. 
Complaints came before him by petition; upon which he 
gave a day to the parties, and, after a summary hearing, pro- 

* Charlevoix. 



100 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

nounced judgment. His determinations were called edicts^ 
and executed by the sheriffs he had appointed. It is much 
to his honor, that, notwithstanding all this plenitude of pow- 
er, he governed the province with integrity and moderation. 

Sec. III. 1673. A second Dutch war hav- 
ing recently commenced, a small squadron was 
sent from Holland, which arrived at Staten Island 
on the 30th of July. The commander of the 
fort at New York sent a messenger, and treach- 
erously surrendered to the enemy. 

The same day, the Dutch ships came up, 
moored under the fort, landed their men, and 
entered the garrison without giving or receiving 
a shot. The city immediately followed the ex- 
ample of the fort ; and, soon after, all New 
Netherland consented to the same humiliating 
submission. 

Anthony Colve was constituted governor, but 
enjoyed his office for a very short season. On 
the 9th of Feb., 1674, a treaty of peace was 
concluded between England and the States 
General of Holland, by which New Netherland 
was restored to the English. 

" At the time of the arrival of the Dutch squadron, John 
Manning, a captain of an independent company, had the 
command of the fort. After the r^-establishment of the Eng- 
lish power, he was tried by a court martial for his treacher- 
ous and cowardly surrender. This charge, which Manning, 
on his trial, confessed to be true, is less surprising than the 
lenity of the sentence pronounced against him. It was this, 
that, though he deserved death, yet, because he had, since the 
surrender, been in England, and seen the king and the duke, 
it was adjudged, that his sword should be broken over his 
head in public before the city hall, and himself rendered 



FROM 1665 TO 1710. 101 

incapable of wearing a sword, and of serving his majesty, for 
the future, in any public trust in the government.* 

Sec. IV. 1674. At the close of the war, the 
duke of York, to remove all controversy respect- 
ing his property in America, took out a new 
patent from the king, and commissioned major 
Edmund Andros ^' governor of New York, and 
all his territories in these parts." The Dutch, 
in October, resigned their authority to Andros, 
who immediately received the submission of the 
inhabitants. 

Andros, the following year, made efforts to 
acquire the country of Connecticut river, but 
was effectually frustrated by the spirited conduct 
of the Connecticut colony. 

1677. Andros sent a sloop, with some forces, 
to the province of Maine, to take possession of 
the lands which had been granted to the duke 
of York, and, in the following year, built a fort 
at Pemaquid. 

The province of New York contained, at this time, about 
24 towns, villages or parishes, in six precincts, ridings, or 
courts of sessions. The militia of the province amounted to 
about 2000. 

Its annual exports, besides peas, beef, pork, tobacco afid 
peltry, consisted of about 60,000 bushels of wheat. Its an- 
nual imports were to the value of about 50,000 pounds. The 
city of New York contained, at this period, 343 houses. 

Andros, in his answers to the inquiries of the committee 

of colonies, dated April, 1678, gives the following account of 

the condition and resources of the province of New York : — 

" There is one standing company of soldiers, with gunners 

and other officers, for the forts of Albany and New York. 

Fortresses are, James Fo rt, situated on a point of New York 

* Smith. 
9 * 



102 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

town, between Hudson's river and the Sound. It is square, 
with stone walls, 4 bastions, almost regular, and in it 46 
guns mounted. Albany is a small, long, stockaded fort, with 
4 bastions in it, with 12 guns, which is sufficient against In- 
dians. There are no privateers about our coasts. Our mer- 
chants are not many ; but, with inhabitants and planters, 
about 2000 able to bear arms, old inhabitants of the place or 
of England ; except in and near New York, of Dutch ex- 
traction, and some of all nations ; but few servants, who are 
much wanted, and but very few slaves. A merchant worth 
^1000 or c£500 is accounted a good, substantial merchant ; 
and a planter worth half of that in movables is accounted 
rich. All the estates may be valued at .£150,000. There may 
have lately traded to the colony, in a year, from 10 to 15 ships 
or vessels, upon an average, of 100 tons each — English, New 
England, and of our own built. There are religions of all sorts ; 
one Church of England, several Presbyterians, and Indepen- 
dents, Quakers, and Anabaptists of several sects ; some Jews ; 
but the Presbyterians and Independents are the most numer- 
ous and substantial. There are about 20 churches, or meet- 
ing places, of which above half are vacant ; few ministers 
till very lately."* The population of New York ci!y, at this 
time, was computed at 3430 souls. 

The administration of Andros appears not to have been 
remarkably popular. The principal part of his public pro- 
ceedings, during his continuance in the province, was com- 
prised in the ordinary acts of the government, which then 
consisted mostly in passing of grants, and presiding in the 
court of assize. 

Sec. V. 1682. Thomas Dongan was ap- 
pointed, by the duke of York, to succeed Andros 
in the government of the province, but did not 
arrive at New York until August of the follow- 
ing year. 

1683. The court of assizes, council and 
corporation of New York having requested that 

* Chalmers. 



FROM 1G65 TO 1710. 103 

the people should have a participation in the 
choice of their rulers, on the arrival of Dongan, 
orders were given to summon the freeholders for 
the choice of representatives. The assembly 
consisted of a council of 10, and house of rep- 
resentatives consisting of 18 members. 

Some obscurity rests on the latter part of Andros's admin- 
istration. He probably retired from the government as early 
as 1681. During the interval between the close of his adminis- 
tration and the arrival of Dongan, the government was admin- 
istered by Anthony Brackholst. When the administration of 
Brackholst commenced, or ended, has not been determined; 
but he certainly acted as commander-in-chief in July, 1681, 
and in April, 1683.* Governor Dongan arrived in August, 
and a session of the assembly was held in October, and sev- 
eral important laws passed. One of the acts passed is entitled 
* The charter of liberties and privileges granted by his royal 
highness to the inhabitants of New York and its dependen- 
cies.' Another session was held the following year ; but it 
is believed there was no other after that, until the revolution 
of William and Mary. 

In 1684, a grand convention was held at Albany, and a 
treaty with the Iroquois concluded by lord Effingham and 
governor Dongan, in behalf of all the settlements. By this 
treaty, the Five Nations put the lands and castles of the Mo- 
hawks and the Oneidas under the protection of the English 
government, and the English engaged to guaranty them to 
the Indians. During the same season, M. de la Barre, with 
an army from Canada, consisting of 700 Canadians, 130 sol- 
diers, and 200 Indians, made an unsuccessful expedition into 
the country of the Five Nations. The object of the French, 
in this enterprise, was the total destruction of these tribes, and, 
the further to ensure success, a letter was obtained from the 
duke of York to colonel Dongan commanding him to lay no ob- 
stacles in the way. Dongan, however, regardless of the duke's 
order, apprized the Indians of the intended invasion, and 

* See Collections of JVew York Historical Society. 



104 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

promised them his assistance. After a delay of six weeks at 
fort Frontenac, during which the French army suffered se- 
verely by sickness, M, de la Barre found it necessary to con- 
clude the campaign with a treaty. Having crossed the lake, 
he was met, at a designated place, by the Oneidas, Onondagas 
and Cayugas, the Mohawks and Senecas refusing their atten- 
dance. 

M. de la Barre being seated in a chair of state, with the 
Indians and French officers around him, he addressed himself 
to Garangula, an Onondaga chief, in a haughty speech, which 
was concluded with a menace of burning the castles of the 
Five Nations, unless certain stipulations, which he demanded, 
were complied with, Garangula, knowing the distressed state 
of the French army, heard these threats with contempt, and 
answered him in a cool, but bold and decisive speech. M. de 
la Barre, enraged at this reply, retired to his tent, but pru- 
dently suspended his menaces. Immediately after the con- 
clusion of the peace, the Indian chief and his retinue returned 
to their country ; and M. de la Barre, after having inglori- 
ously finished an expensive campaign, embarked his army in 
their canoes, and returned to Montreal. 

The following is the speech of Garangula on this occasion, 
and has been justly admired, as a characteristic specimen of 
Indian eloquence : — 

" YONNONDIO,* 

"I honor you, and the warriors that are with me likewise 
honor you. Your interpreter has finished your speech ; I now 
begin mine. My words make haste to reach your ears ; 
hearken to them. 

" Yonnondio, you must have believed, when you left Que- 
bec, that the sun had burnt up all the forests, which render 
our country inaccessible to the French, or that the lakes had 
so far overflown the banks, that they had surrounded our cas- 
tles, and that it was impossible for us to get out of them. 



* Yonnondio was the name by which the Indians always addressed the 
governor of Canada ; Corlear was their phrase when speaking to the 
governor of New York. 



'hi 



FROM 1665 TO 1710. 105 

Yes, Yonnondio, surely you must have dreamt so, and the 
curiosity of seeing so great a wonder, has brought you so far. 
Now you are undeceived, since that I and the warriors here 
present are come to assure you, that the Senecas, Cayugas, 
Onondagas, Oneidas and Mohawks are yet alive. I thank 
you, in their name, for bringing back into their country the 
calumet which your predecessor received from their hands. 
It was happy for you, that you left under ground that murder- 
ing hatchet that has been so often dyed in the blood of the 
French. Hear, Yonnondio: I do not sleep; I have my eyes 
open, and the sun, which enlightens me, discovers to me a 
great captain at the head of a company of soldiers, who speaks 
as if he was dreaming. He says, that he only came to the 
lake to smoke on the great calumet with the Onondagas. But 
Garangula says, that he sees the contrary ; that it was to knock 
them on the head, if sickness had not weakened the arms of 
the French. 

" I see Yonnondio raving in a camp of sick men, whose 
lives the Great Spirit has saved by inflicting this sickness 
on them. Hear, Yonnondio : our women had their clubs, our 
children and old men had carried their bows and arrows into 
the heart of your camp, if our warriors had not disarmed 
them, and kept them back, when your messenger, Ohguesse, 
came to our castles. It is done, and I have said it. Hear, 
Yonnondio : we plundered none of the French, but those that 
carried guns, powder and ball to the Twightvvies and Chic- 
tacrhicks, because those arms mig;ht have cost us our lives. 
Herein we follow the example of the Jesuits, who stave all 
the kegs of rum brought to our castles, lest the drunken In- 
dians should knock them on the head. Our warriors have 
not beaver enough to pay for all these arms, that they have 
taken, and our old men are not afraid of the war. This belt 
preserves my words. 

"\Ve carried the English into our lakes, to trade there 
with the Utawas and duatoghies, as the Adirondacks brought 
the French to our castles, to carry on a trade which the 
English say is theirs. We are born free ; we neither depend 
on Yonnondio nor Corlear. 



106 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

*' We may go where we please, and carry with us what we 
please : if your allies be your slaves, use them as such ; com- 
mand them to receive no other but your people. This belt 
preserves my words. 

"We knocked the Twightwies and Chictaghicks on the 
head because they had cut down the trees of peace, which 
were the limits of our country. They have hunted bea- 
vers oil our lands ; they have acted contrary to the customs 
of all Indians ; for they left none of the beavers alive ; they 
killed both male and female. They brought the Satanas into 
the country to take part with them, after they had concerted 
all designs against us. We have done less than either the 
English or French, they have usurped the lands of so many 
Indian nations, and chased them from their own country. 
This belt preserves my words. 

" Hear, Yonnondio : what I say is the voice of all the Five 
Nations : hear what they answer ; open your ears to what they 
speak. The Senecas, Cayugas, Onondagas, Oneidas and 
Mohawks say, that, when they buried the hatchet at Cadarac- 
qui, (in the presence of your predecessor,) in the middle of 
the fort, they planted the tree of peace in the same place, to 
be there carefully preserved, that, in place of a retreat for 
soldiers, that fort might be a rendezvous for merchants ; that, 
in place of arms and ammunition of war, beavers and mer- 
chandise should only enter there. 

" Hear, Yonnondio : take care for the future, that so great 
a number of soldiers as appear there do not choke the tree 
of peace, planted in so small a fort. It will be a great loss, 
if, after it had so easily taken root, you should stop its growth, 
and prevent its covering your country and ours with its branch- 
es. I assure you, in the name of the Five Nations, that our 
warriors shall dance to the calumet of peace under its leaves, 
and shall remain quiet on their mats, and shall never dig. up 
the hatchet, till their brother, Yonnondio or Corlear, shall, 
either jointly or separately, endeavor to attack the country, 
which the Great Spirit has given to our ancestors. This belt 
preserves my words, and this other, the authority which the 
Five Nations have given me." 



FROM 1665 TO 1710. 107 

Garangula then addressed himself to monsieur la Main, the 
interpreter : — " Take courage," said he, " Ohguesse ; you have 
spirit; speak, explain my words, forget nothing, tell all your 
brethren and friends ; say to Yonnondio, your governor, by 
the mouth of Garangula, who loves you, and desires you to 
accept of this present of beaver, and take part with me in my 
feast, to which I invite you. This present of beaver is sent 
to Yonnondio, on the part of the Five Nations."* 

Sec. VI. 1686. James the Second, formerly 
duke of York, having now come to the throne, 
refused, on the renewal of governor Dongan's 
commission, to confirm the privileges granted 
when he was duke. The assembly was prohib- 
ited, and printing forbidden. Much disaffection 
at this time prevailed among the colonists, on 
account of the appointment of professed papists 
to the principal crown offices. Albany was this 
year incorporated. 

In the following year, the French court aimed 
a blow which threatened to destroy the British 
interest in North America. M. Denonville, with 
1500 French and 500 Indians, took the field 
against the Senecas. The latter were known 
to be firmly attached to the English, and it was, 
therefore, determined to make them examples 
of French resentment to all others. 

When Denonville with his army had arrived within a quar- 
ter of a league of the chief village of the Senecas, the Indians, 
who lay in ambush, suddenly raised the war-shout, with a 
discharge of fire-arms. This surprise threw the French into 
confusion, of which the Senecas took the advantage, and fell 
on them with great fury ; but the French Indians rallied, at 
length, and repulsed them. 

* Smith. 



108 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

In this action, a hundred Frenchmen, ten French Indians, 
and about eighty Senecas were killed. The next day, De- 
nonville marched forward with the intention of burning the 
village, but found it in ashes. The Senecas had burned it, 
and fled. Nothing was left to employ the valor of the soldiers, 
but the corn in the fields, which they effectually destroyed. 

The war was undertaken by the French chiefly to put a 
stop to the English trade, which was extending itself into 
the continent, and would, in consequence, ruin theirs. Denon- 
ville soon after returned to Canada. 

Sec. VII. 1688. It was determined to add 
New York and the Jerseys to the jurisdiction of 
New England. A new commission was passed, 
in March, appointing Andros captain-general 
and vice-admiral over the whole. 

Francis Nicholson was soon after named his 
lieutenant, with the accustomed authority. The 
constitution established on this occasion ordained 
a legislative and executive governor, and council, 
who were appointed by the king, without the 
consent of the people. 

In the following J year, James having abdicated, William, 
prince of Orange, and Mary, daughter of James, ascended 
the throne. This intelligence was joyfully received at 
New York. 

Sec. VIII. 1689. Jacob Leisler, with forty- 
nine men, seized the garrison at New York, and 
held it for the prince of Orange. Wilham and 
Mary were proclaimed there in June ; and the 
province was now ruled by a committee of safe- 
ty, at the head of which was Leisler. 

Andros had been previously seized and im- 
prisoned by the citizens of Boston. Nicholson, 
with the council and civil officers, made all the 



FROM 1665 TO 1710. 109 

opposition in their power to Leisler, but it was 
ineffectual. Nicholson absconded, and Leisler 
assumed supreme authority. 

Leisler's assumption of command excited the envy and 
hatred of many of the people ; at the head of whom were 
col. Bayard and tlie mayor, who, being unable to make any 
effectual resistance in New York, retired to Albany. 

A letter arrived from England, directed to " Francis 
Nicholson, esq., or, in his absence, to such as, for the time 
being, take care for preserving the peace and administering 
the laws." Nicholson havinor absconded, Leisler considered 
the letter directed to himself, and assumed the title and 
authority of lieutenant-governor. 

Sec. IX. Albany, though friendly to William 
"and Mar^^ refused subjection to Leisler ; to 
compel which, Leisler sent his son-in-law, Mil- 
born, with an armed force. Albany was reduced 
in the following spring, and Nicholson and Ba- 
yard were imprisoned. 

During the year 1689, the Five Nations re- 
newed their covenant with the English, and 
soon after made a descent upon Montreal, in 
Canada, attended with terrible massacre and 
devastation. Many plantations were burned, 
and the whole French colony thrown into con- 
sternation. 

At the time this irruption took place, the French had be«n 
negotiating, and were on the point of concluding, an advan- 
tageous peace with the Iroquois. While the province of New 
York, convulsed with domestic contentions, had neglected its 
relations with the Indians, the latter had begun to listen to 
the solicitations of the French, and a general meeting of the 
hostile parties was proposed at Montreal. Twelve hundred 
Indians of the Iroquois attended this conference. The con- 
ditions of the treaty were agreed upon, when its conclusion 
10 



110 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

was prevented by the policy of an Indian, who had the ad- 
dress to destroy, by a well-concerted scheme, all confidence 
between the parties, and to inflame both with the most 
deadly hostility. 

" Among the tribes which lived on the shores of tlie western 
lakes, there was one called by the name of the Dinondodies, 
a party, or appendage to the Hurons. This tribe had found 
it profitable to trade with the English at Michilimackinack. 
On that account, it was suspected by the French, as being in- 
clined to withdraw from their alliance ; but it was still at war 
with the confederates. Adario, called by the French Le Rat, 
was their chief With a policy perfectly similar to that of 
Europe, he wished to derive advantages to his own tribe from 
the follies, jealousies and wars of the belligerent powers. 
His wish and view was to prevent the peace between the 
French and the Five Nations. If he could effect this purpose, 
it would secure his own tribe from the attacks of the French 
or Iroquois, render their friendship of much importance to 
both, and, at the same time, secure his own influence, popu- 
larity and power with his own tribe. To effect these purposes, 
he put himself at the head of one hundred men, and marched 
to intercept the ambassadors of the Five Nations, who were 
going to complete the business of peace with the French 
governor. At one of the falls of Cadaraqui river, he met the 
Iroquois ambassadors ; killed some, took others prisoners, 
and informed them that it was the French governor that had 
given him intelligence that fifty warriors of the Five Nations 
were coming that way. 

" To be betrayed by the person with whom they had agreed 
upon a treaty, and were now going to confirm it, and, at the 
same time, to be delivered into the hands of a party with 
whom they were at war, exceeded all the conceptions the 
savages had been able to form of duplicity, perfidy and base- 
ness; and, in their rage against Denonville, they declared to 
Adario the nature of their business, and the design of their 
journey. Adario instantly put on all the appearances of 
anger, shame and distress, at being made the executioner of 
Denonville's baseness and treachery. He flew to the princi- 
pal of the ambassadors, cut his bands, and set him at liberty. 



FROM 1665 TO 1710. Ill 

^ Go,' says he, ' my brother ; return to your nation, and tell 
them it was the French who led me to commit so base and 
vile an action as to make an attack upon the messengers of 
peace. Though our nations are at war, you are at liberty ; and 
I shall never be at rest till you have revenged upon the French 
the base and perfidious conduct into which they have be- 
trayed me.' By these arts, similar to those of more polished 
nations, Adario secured peace for his own tribe, and left the 
contending powers more exasperated against each other than 
they had ever been before. 

" The intelligence soon reached the Five Nations, that their 
ambassadors had been intercepted and assaulted by the con- 
trivance of the French governor; and they did not doubt of 
the truth of the information. The whole nation vowed re- 
venge, and agreed to make retaliation. Twelve hundred of 
their warriors, animated with the fiercest feelings of the 
savage heart, set out on a march to Montreal. The inhabit- 
ants, unacquainted with the attack upon the ambassadors, and 
believing that peace was made with the Five Nations, were in 
perfect tranquillity, without any preparation for, or apprehen- 
sion of danger. While the city was thus serene, and without 
fear, the storm of vengeance gathered and burst. On the 
26th of July, the Indian warriors landed on the south side 
of the island of Montreal, and immediately began their assault 
upon every part of the city. Nothing could exceed the de- 
struction which the savages carried with them. They burnt 
the houses, sacked the plantations, and put to death every 
man, woman and child, which they could find without the for- 
tifications. 1000 of the French w^ere slain in this massacre, 
and 26 were carried into captivity, and burnt at the stake ; 
and so great was the consternation of the French, that the 
Indians lost but three of their number, while they carried 
destruction and carnage through the whole island. Not 
satisfied with the calamities they had already occasioned, in 
October the Indians made another descent upon the island ; 
again destroyed the lower part of it, killed several of the in- 
habitants, and took many prisoners. 

" At no time had Canada ever before met with so heavy a 
misfortune. The very news carried defeat, as well as alarm, 



112 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

along with it. On receiving the tidings, the garrison at lake 
Ontario set fire to two barks, which they had just completed, 
and abandoned the fort, leaving a match to 28 barrels of pow- 
der, disposed with a design to blow up the works. The troops 
went down the river with such rapidity and fear, that one of 
their batteaux, with her crew, was swallowed up in one of the 
falls. The confederates were in all the animation and inso- 
lence of victory ; they seized the fort at Cadaraqui, with all the 
powder and stores ; they sent their scouts every where, to invade 
the frontiers, and break up the settlements in Canada. The 
French were involved in every kind of difficulty and danger ; 
their borders were invested, inroads made on their oldest plan- 
tations, their new settlements breaking up ; it became difficult 
and dangerous to cultivate the lands, or to gather in the harvest : 
and to all the miseries and calamities of war were now added 
the distresses of famine, to complete their catalogue of woes. 
Their Indian friends and allies forsook them, and made peace 
with the Iroquois and English. Two only of the Indian tribes 
adhered to the French in their calamity ; and these were too 
much dispirited to attempt any thing in their favor ; and it 
was only in the cities of Cluebec, Trois Rivieres and Montreal, 
that the inhabitants of the colony found any safety. The 
savages knew not how to approach, or to carry any fortified 
works ; and the French availed themselves of this circumstance, 
till the affairs of the colony took a different turn."* 

Sec. X. 1690. Count Frontenac detached 
several parties of French and Indians from 
Canada to take different routes into the EngUsh 
territories. One party, consisting of 150 French 
and Indian traders, and as many Indians, sur-. 
prised and destroyed Schenectady. The assault 
was made about 12 o'clock on Saturday night, 
and 60 men, women and children were mas- 
sacred. 

Never was a place more completely surprised. The inhabit- 
ants had no intimation of their approach, until their doors were 

* Williams. 



FROM 16G5 TO 1710. 113 

broken open, and the enemy entered, and began the perpetra- 
tion of the most inhuman barbarities. No tongue, says col. 
Schuyler, can express the cruelties that v/ere committed. 
Those who made their escape fled naked towards Albany 
through a deep snow, which fell that night in a terrible storm ; 
and 25 of these fugitives lost their limbs in the flight, 
through the severity of the frost. 

" The news of this awful tragedy reached Albany about 
break of day. A universal dread and consternation seized 
the inhabitants. The enemy were reported to be 1400 in num- 
ber ; and many of the citizens of Albany entertained the idea 
that the best method was to destroy the city, and abandon that 
part of the country. But Schuyler and others roused and ral- 
lied the inhabitants. A party of horse was soon sent off to Sche- 
nectady, but they were not strong enough to venture a battle. 
The enemy kept possession of the place till the next day at 
noon ; and, having plundered the whole village, they went off 
with 40 of the best horses loaded with the spoil ; the rest, with 
all the cattle they could find, lay slaughtered in the streets."* 

Sec. XL 1691. Col. Henry Sloughter ar- 
rived at New York with the commission of 
governor of the province. The first assembly, 
after the revolution, was holden on the ninth of 
April. The province was, by an act of the 
assembly, divided into ten counties. 

The arbitrary acts of James were repealed, 
and the former privileges restored to the colo- 
ny. Leisler and Milborne, having made a vain 
attempt to retain their authority, and refused to 
deliver up the fort to the governor, were con- 
demned to death for high treason, and soon after 
executed. Sloughter died suddenly in July, 
1691, and ended a short, but weak and turbu- 
lent administration. 

* Williams. 
10* 



114 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

Soon after the arrival of Sloughter, the question which had 
often been a subject of animated debate, whether the people 
of the colony had a right to be represented in assembly, or 
whether it was a privilege enjoyed through the grace of the 
crown, was again agitated by that body. A memorable act was 
passed by the legislature of the province, virtually declaring the 
right of representation, and several other of the principal and 
distinguished privileges of Englishmen. It was entitled " An 
act declaring what are the rights and privileges of their majes- 
ties' subjects within the province of New York." An act was 
likewise passed, that " no person, professing faith in God by 
Jesus Christ, shall be disturbed or questioned for different 
opinions in religion, if he do not disturb the public peace ";" with 
a proviso, " that this act shall not extend to give liberty to any 
of the Romish religion to exercise their worship." 

The distractions in the province so entirely engrossed the 
public attention, that the Indian allies, who had been left solely 
to contend against the common enemy, became extremely dis- 
affected. In the summer of 1691, major Schuyler, with a party 
of Mohawks, passed through lake Champlain, and made a bold 
and successful irruption into the French settlements at the north 
end of the lake. The design in this descent was to animate 
the Indians, and continue their hostility to the French. They 
accordingly continued their hostilities against them, and, by 
frequent incursions, kept the country in constant alarm. 

An Indian, called Black Kettle, commanded in these excur- 
sions of the Five Nations ; and his success so exasperated the 
French, that they ordered an Indian prisoner to be burnt alive. 
The bravery of this savage was as extraordinary as the tor- 
ments inflicted on him were cruel. He sung his military^ 
achievements without interruption, even while his bloody exe- 
cutioners practised all possible barbarities. They broiled his 
feet, thrust his fingers into red hot pipes, cut his joints, and 
twisted the sinews with bars of iron. After this, his scalp was 
ripped off, and hot sand poured on the wound.* 

Sec. XII. 1692. On the death of governor 
Sloughter, the council committed the chief com- 

"" Smith. 



FROM 1GC5 TO 1710. 115 

mand to Richard Ingolsby. In August, col. 
Benjamin Fletcher arrived with a commission 
of governor. In the following year, he intro- 
duced the Episcopal church into the province. 

Early in the year 1693, count Frontenac, 
with an army of 6 or 700 French and Indians, 
made an irruption into the territory of the Mo- 
hawks. In this descent, 300 of the Indians in 
the interest of the English were made prisoners. 

Col. Schuyler, with a party from Albany, pur- 
sued the enemy, and several skirmishes ensued. 
When the French reached the north branch of 
Hudson's river, a cake of ice opportunely served 
them to cross it ; and Schuyler, who had retaken 
aTjout 50 Indians, desisted from the pursuit. 
The French, in this enterprise, lost about 
80 men. 

Both parties suffered severely, in this expedition, by the 
severity of the season and the want of .provisions. The Indians 
under Schuyler, on his return from the pursuit, were so dis- 
tressed, that they fed on the dead bodies of the French ; while 
the enemy were so reduced, that they ate up their shoes before 
they arrived in Canada.* 

During this season, Fletcher made an unsuccessful attempt 
to exercise command over the militia of Connecticut. By its 
charter, that state had exclusive power over its own militia ; but, 
by the plenary powers vested in the governor of New York, he 
had also command over them. Fletcher, the governor, insist- 
ed on submission, which being refused, he went to Hartford, 
While the legislature were in session, to compel obedience. 

He ordered his commission to be read to the trainbands of 
Hartford, then under exercise of their senior officer, captain 
Wadsworth. As soon as the reading commenced, the captain 
ordered the drums to beat. It was in vain that the governor 

* Smith. 



116 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

commanded silence. Three attempts were made to read, each 
of which was futile ; the governor crying out, " Silence ! 
silence !" and the captain vociferating, " Drum ! drum !" 

At length the governor, on being told by Wadsworth, that, 
if he again interrupted his drumming, he would " make the sun 
shine through him," relinquished all hope of success against 
such obstinacy, and returned to New York. 

Sec. XIII. Mr. Fletcher's administration was 
characterized by much turbulence, and frequent 
disagreement between him and the assembly. 
The raising and appropriating the revenue, and 
the religious concerns of the colony, constituted 
the usual subjects of controversy. He left the 
province in 1695. 

An act had been passed by the assembly for the support and 
encouragement of the clergy. Fletcher, who was a bigoted 
Episcopalian, made efforts to have the act so framed, that the ap- 
propriations might be exclusively devoted to the Episcopal clergy. 

In their session of April, on receiving a petition from the 
church-wardens and vestrymen of the city of New York, the 
house declared it to be .their opinion, "that the vestrymen 
and church-wardens have a power to call a dissenting Protestant 
minister, and that he is to be paid and maintained as the act 
directs." 

Trinity church, in the city of New York, was built in the 
following year ; and the Reformed Protestant Dutch church 
incorporated. The city, at this time, contained 594 houses, 
and 6000 inhabitants. The shipping of New York consisted 
of 40 ships, 62 sloops, and 60 boats. 

Sec. XIV. In 1696, Frontenac made another 
irruption with a large force, and carried devas- 
tation into the possessions of the Five Nations. 
After this expedition, small parties of the In- 
dians in the English interest continued to harass 
the inhabitants near Montreal; and similar par- 



FROM 1665 TO 1710. 117 

ties in the French interest to harass those near 
Albany, until the peace of Ryswick, in 1697. 

The last expedition against the confederates was undertaken 
by Frontenac in 1697. He landed at Oswego with a powerful 
force, and marched to the Onondaga lake. He found their 
principal village burnt and abandoned. He sent 700 men to 
destroy the Oneida castle, who took a few prisoners. An Onon- 
daga chief, upwards of 100 years old, was captured in the 
woods, and abandoned to the fury of the French savages. After 
sustaining the most horrid tortures with more than stoical forti- 
tude, the only complaint he was heard to utter was, when one 
of them, actuated by compassion, or, probably, by rage, stabbed 
him repeatedly with a knife, in order to put a speedy end to his 
existence. " Thou ought not," said he, " to abridge my life, that 
thou might have time to learn to die like a man. For my own 
part, I die contented, because I know no meanness with which 
to reproach myself" After this tragedy, the count thought it 
prudent to retire with his army ; and probably he would have 
fallen a victim to his temerity, if the Senecas had not been kept 
at home, from a false report, that they were to be attacked at the 
same time by the Ottawas.* 

Sec. XV. 1698. Richard, earl of Bellomont, 
who had been appointed, the previous year, to 
succeed Fletcher, arrived, and assumed the gov- 
ernment. The assembly of the province, at this 
time, consisted of but 19 members. 

In the following year, M. de Callieres, succeeding count 
Frontenac as governor of Canada, terminated the existing dis- 
putes between the French and the Five Nations, by agreeing 
to have an exchange of prisoners at Onondaga. 

When the French commissioners came to Onondaofa, De- 
canesora, one of the deputies of the Five Nations, met them 
without the gate, and complimented them with three strings of 
wampum. " By the first, he wiped away their tears for the French 
who had been slain in the war ; by the second, he opened their 

* Clinton, in Coll. X. Y. Hist. Soc. 



118 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

mouths that they might speak freely (that is, promised freedom 
of speech) ; by the third, he cleaned the mat, on which they 
were to sit, from the blood that had been spilt on both sides." 
It is observable, that the Indian council refused to hear the 
French, or to give them an answer, but in the presence of the 
commissioners from Albany. Bruyas, a Jesuit, one of the French 
commisgioners, offering a belt, in token of his readiness to stay 
with them, the grand council immediately rejected it, saying, 
"We have already accepted Corlear's belt, by which he offers 
pastors to instruct us."* 

In 1700, the assembly of the province passed an act against 
Jesuits and popish priests. The preamble states, that divers 
of them have come of late, and, for some time, have had their 
residence in the remote parts of the province, and other adja- 
cent colonies, and have, by wicked and subtile insinuations, in- 
dustriously labored to seduce the Indians from their due obe- 
dience to his majesty, and excite them to sedition, rebellion, 
and open hostility against his majesty's government. The act 
required every ecclesiastical person receiving his ordination 
from any authority derived from the pope or see of Rome, now 
residing within this province, to depart out of it before the first 

fay of November. 
Sec. XVI. Lord Bellomont died in March, 
701, and John Nanfan, who had been previous- 
y appointed Ueutenant-governor, arrived soon 
lafter, and assumed the command. Lord Corn- 
bury was appointed governor the following year. 
After an administration distinguished only by 
his oppression, avarice and injustice, he was 
superseded, in 1708, by lord Lovelace, who died 
in May of the following year, and a few months 
after his arrival in the province. On the death 
of Lovelace, the command devolved on Richard 
Ingolsby, the lieutenant-governor. 

** Golden. 



FROM 1G65 TO 1710. 119 

The war between England and France was 
again proclaimed in 1702 ; but, with the excep- 
tion of an expedition against Canada some years 
after, its operations in the colony were not at- 
tended with any remarkable event. 

In 1701, a court of chancery was organized in the province 
of New York. The Five Nations, the same year, put all their 
hunting grounds under the protection of the English. The 
assembly, premising that it would be to the honor of God and 
the welfare of the province, that the Five Nations should be 
instructed in the Protestant religion, passed an act, granting 
£60 a year to Bernardus Freeman, minister of the gospel at 
Schenectady, as his salary for instructing those Indians, and <£15 
a year for his charge and expense. During the summer of the 
following year, an uncommon mortality prevailed in the city of 
New York, which distinguished this period as "the time of 
the great sickness." Three years after, the city of New York 
was thrown into great consternation by the appearance of a 
French privateer in the harbor. 

A fruitless attempt was made, in 1709, to conquer Canada, in 
which the province of New York manifested a deep interest. 
Besides raising several companies, she procured 600 Indians, 
paid their wages, and maintained 1000 of their wives and chil- 
dren at Albany, while they were in the campaign, at the ex- 
pense of above ^20,000. 

Sec. XVII. In 1710, col. Schuyler went to 
England, to inculcate on the ministry the abso- 
lute necessity of reducing Canada to the crown 
of Great Britain. The more effectually to ac- 
complish this, he carried with him five Indian 
chiefs, who gave assurances to the queen of 
their fidelity, and solicited her assistance against 
their common enemies, the French. 

" The arrival of these sachems in England occasioned great 
observation through the kingdom. Wherever they went, the mob 
followed them ; and small prints of them were sold among the 



120 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

people. The court being at that time in mourning for the prince 
of Denmark, these aboriginal princes were, therefore, dressed in 
black under-clothes, after the English manner ; but, instead of 
a blanket, they had each a scarlet ingrain cloth mantle, edged 
with gold, thrown over their other garments. The audience, 
which they had of her majesty, was attended with unusual so- 
lemnity. Sir Charles Cotterel conducted them in two coaches 
to St. James's ; and the lord chamberlain introduced them into 
the royal presence. Qne of them, after a brief and pertinent 
introduction to his speech, proceeded to observe : — ' We were 
mightily rejoiced, when we heard our great queen had resolved 
to send an army to reduce Canada ; and immediately, in token 
of friendship, we hung up the kettle, and took up the hatchet, 
and, with one consent, assisted colonel Nicholson in making 
preparations on this side the lake ; but at length we were told, 
our great queen, by some important affairs, was prevented in 
her design at present, which made us sorrowful. The reduction 
of Canada is of great weight to our free hunting ; so that, if 
our great queen should not be mindful of us, we must, with our 
families, forsake our country, and seek other habitations, or 
stand neuter.' At the close of this speech, they presented belts 
of wampum to the queen, in the name, and in token of th« 
sincerity, of the Five Nations."* 

* Holmes's Annala. 



FROM 1710 TO 1743. 121 

CHAP. VII. 

FROM 1710 TO 1743. 

Hunter''s Administration. Expedition against 
Canada, Administration of Burnet^ Montgom- 
ery^ Crosby and Clarke, 

Sec. I. 1710. Col. Robert Hunter was ap- 
pointed governor of the province, and arrived 
in June. He brought o^er with him near 3000 
Palatines, who had fled to England, the year 
before, from the rage of persecution in Germany. 
Many of these people settled in the city of 
New York ; others, on a tract of several thou 
sand acres in the manor of Livingston ; while 
others went into Pennsylvania. 

Sec II. In 1711, Nicholson went to England, 
and solicited another expedition against Canada, 
which was granted, and an armament ordered, 
proportional to the magnitude of the enterprise. 
New York, New England, New Jersey and 
Pennsylvania provided the quotas of men in- 
tended for the expedition. 

Soon after his return from Europe, Nicholson proceeded to 
Albany, to take command of the troops of Connecticut, New 
York and New Jersey, consisting of about 1000 Palatines, 
who had come to New York some time before, 600 Indians, 
and the regiments commanded by colonels Whiting, Schuyler 
and Ingolsby ; amounting, in the whole, to upwards of 4000. 

The fleet, consisting of 15 men of war, 40 transports, 6 
store-ships, and an excellent train of artillery, under the com- 
mand of sir Hovenden Walker, set sail from Boston, with a 
11 



122 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

land army, consisting of five regiments fi-om Europe, and two 
from Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Hampshire ; 
making, in all, about 7000. 

The admiral arrived in the St. Lawrence early in August, 
and, on the 22d, in a thick fog and high wind, the fleet was 
driven on the rocks and shoals of the north shore. Eight or 
nine of the British transports were lost, and above 1000 lives, 
besides great damage done to the vessels saved. The admiral 
bore away for Spanish bay, where, after full consultation, it 
was agreed to abandon the expedition. 

Gen. Nicholson, who had proceeded as far as lake George 
with his troops, received information of the failure of the en- 
terprise, and retreated. 

Sec. III. The conquest of Canada had been 
an object of earnest desire and sanguine expec- 
tation to the colony ; and the failure of this last 
enterprise was attended by circumstances equal- 
ly mortifying and calamitous. They had suffered 
heavy losses, and were again exposed to the 
depredations of their ancient foe. The war was, 
however, terminated, in 1713, by the treaty of 
Utrecht, and their apprehensions, for the present^ 
relieved. 

In 1712, the Tuscarora Indians, after having been defeated in 
an attempt to exterminate the English settlers in North Caroli- 
na, abandoned their country, and repaired to the Five Nations, 
who received them into their confederacy, and made them the 
sixth nation. 

The same year, the Negroes in New York, in the execution 
of a plot to set fire to the city, burned a house in the night, and 
killed several people, who came to extinguish the fire. Nine* 
teen of the incendiaries were afterwards exeeuted. 

Sec. IV. During the early part of Hunter's 
administration, much controversy subsisted be- 
tween the different departments of government 



FROM 1710 TO 1743. 123 

and their respective partisans. His exercising 
the office of chancellor was received with high 
disapprobation by a large portion of the inhabit- 
ants. Before his leaving the province, they 
appear to have become reconciled, and the most 
perfect amity and concord to have subsisted. 

Hunter, by the advice of his council, began to exercise the 
office of chancellor in October, 1712. Van Dam and Philipse 
were ■ appointed masters, Whiilman, register, Harrison, exam- 
iner, and Sharpas and Broughton, clerks. A proclamation was 
then issued to signify the sitting of the court, which gave rise 
to the two following resolutions of the house : — " Resolved, that 
the erecting a court of chancery, without consent in general 
assembly, is contrary to law, and of dangerous consequence to 
the liberty and property of the subjects ; and, That the estab- 
lishing fees, without consent in general assembly, is contrary to 
law." The assembly were prorogued the next session. 

Hunter left the province in 1719, and the 
command devolved on Peter Schuyler. During 
his short administration, Schuyler conducted the 
affairs of the colony with prudence and integri- 
ty. Little is observable in his time, except a 
treaty at Albany, with the Indians, for confirming 
the ancient league. 

Sec. V. 1720. On the 17th of September, 
AVilliam Burnet, esq. assumed the government 
of the province, and soon after obtained an act 
from the assembly, prohibiting the trade between 
New York and Canada. This prohibitory act 
had a very beneficial eflfect on the interests of 
the colony. 

From the conclusion of the peace of Utrecht, a considerable 
trade was carried on between Albany and Canada, for goods 
saleable among the Indians. The object of this act was to 



124 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

draw the Indian trade into New York, and to obstruct the 
communication between the French and the Indian allies, which 
gave them frequent opportunities of seducing them from their 
fidelity, and to regain the Caghauagas, who had become inter- 
ested in their disaffection, by being the carriers between Alba- 
ny and Montreal. The chiefs of the Indian confederates, fore- 
seeing the ill consequences of this trade, had complained of it 
to the commissioners of Indian affiiirs. The commissioners 
had written a letter to governor Hunter, acquainting him with 
the dissatisfaction of the Indians ; but, though it was laid be- 
fore the house, no effectual measure had been previously 
adopted. 

Sec. VI. In 1722, for the purpose of securing 
the benefit of the trade and friendship of the 
Six Nations, governor Burnet erected a trading- 
house at Oswego, in the country of the Senecas. 

This establishment naturally excited the jealousy of the 
French, who, in 1726, launched two vessels into lake Ontario, 
and transported materials to Niagara, for building a store-house, 
and repairing the fort. Their object was not only to secure the 
entrance into the west end of the lake, but, likewise, to carry 
their trade more westerly, and thus render Oswego useless, by 
shortening the travels of the western Indians near 200 miles. 

Sec VII. In 1727, Burnet erected a fort for 
the protection of the estabUshments at Oswego, 
and made all the exertions in his power to defeat 
the designs of the French at Niagara. He was, 
however, much embarrassed by the opposition 
he received from the assembly. 

The prohibitory act, passed soon after his arrival, notwith- 
standing its salutary influence on the interests of the colony, 
was extremely unpopular. This, with severa^ decrees in chan- 
cery, and other untoward circumstances, proved the source of 
a violent and unreasonable opposition in the assembly. > 

Sec VIII. A new assembly met in Septem- 
ber, but consisted entirely of members disaffected 



FROM 1710 TO 1743. 125 

to the governor. They were dissolved by hnn ; 
and he immediately resigned the government, 
and was appointed to the command of Massa- 
chusetts bay. Notwithstanding the turbulence 
of Burnet's administration, no one ever conduct- 
ed the affairs of the colony with more ability 
and integrity. 

Sec. IX. 1728. James Montgomery, esq., 
having been appointed to supersede Burnet, ar- 
rived, and, April 15th, received the great seal 
of the province, and assumed the government. 

In the following year, the acts of Mr. Burnet 
were repealed by the king, and the trade be- 
tween Albany and Montreal encouraged, though 
much to the prejudice of the national interest. 
Montgomery's short administration presents a 
period of great tranquillity, and was not distin- 
guished by any remarkable event. 

Governor Montgomery removed the two causes, which had 
previously disturbed the public tranquillity, by dissolving the 
assembly soon after his arrival, and declining to sit as chancel- 
lor, until required to exercise that office by special orders from 
England. A new assembly was called in July, and, among 
other laws, an act passed granting a five years' support to the 
governor. On the first of October, he held a treaty with the 
Six Nations, at Albany, for a renewal of the ancient cove- 
nant. He gave them presents, and engaged them in the 
defence of Oswego. Nothing could have been more seasonable 
than this interview ; for the French, regarding with jealousy, 
the garrison, and increasing trade at that place, were preparing, 
early in the spring following, to demolish the works. On receiv- 
ing intelligence of their designs, the garrison was immediately 
reenforced by a detachment fi*om the independent companies ; 
which, with the declared resolution of the Indians to protect the 

11* 



126 HISTORY OF NEV/ YORK. 

fort, induced the French to desist from the intended inva- 
sion.* 

Sec. X. 1731. Governor Montgomery died 
in July, and the command devolved upon Rip 
Van Dam, esq., who was the oldest counsellor. 

This administration was unfortunately sig- 
nalized by the memorable encroachment at 
Crown Point. By the erection of fort St. Frede- 
rick, the French secured the absolute command 
of lake Champlain. 

Sec. XI. 1732. In August, WiHiam Crosby, 
esq. arrived with a commission to govern the 
province, and commenced his administration 
under the most favorable auspices. 

Attempts had been made, the preceding year, in the British 
parliament, for the encouragement of the sugar colonies, and 
the consequent depression of the American trade. These 
attempts had excited general apprehension in the colony of 
New York, for the safety of her commerce. 

Governor Crosby, while in England, had been very active in 
his opposition to these measures. The inhabitants of New 
York were, on this account, deeply prejudiced in his favor, and 
no appointment could, at this time, have been made more in 
accordance with their wishes. 

On his arrival, he issued his proclamation adjourning the 
assembly to the 19th of August. One of the first acts^ of this 
body, upon their meeting, was to vote an address to his excel- 
lency, congratulating him on his safe arrival, and returning him 
the thanks of the house for his opposition, while in England, to 
the act in favor of the sugar islands. 

The governor, in his communications to the house, intimated 
his confidence in receiving from it a revenue, in as full and 
ample a manner as had been granted in former assemblies, 
and directed their attention to the garrison at Oswego, repre- 

* Smith. 



FROM 1710 TO 1743. 127 

senting the place to be in a ruinous condition, and its importance 
in securing and maintaining the Indian trade. The assembly, 
in its answer to the governor, was profuse in terms of respect, 
but cautious in committing itself on the subject of revenue. 

Sec. XII. The finances were at this time 
much embarrassed, while the frequent de- 
mands for suppUes had imposed a serious 
burthen upon the colony, and afforded much 
reason for complaint. The wars between France 
and England had almost drained its resources, 
and subjected it to a heavy debt. 

The assembly, however, proceeded to make liberal appropri- 
ations for the several objects proposed by t4ie governor. In 
addition to the numerous others, bills were passed for encour- 
aging a public school to teach Latin, Greek, and the mathemat- 
ics ; for discharging the demands upon the trading-house at 
Oswego, and for confirming to the city of New York its rights 
and privileges. The house, at the . same time, established the 
salary of the governor at ;£1560 per ann. ; that of the chief 
justice, at £S00 ; and that of the second justice, at .£180. 

In 1734, accounts having been received from Europe, indi- 
cating an approaching war between France and England, lib- 
eral appropriations were made for putting the colony in a better 
posture of defence. The assembly voted =£6000 for fortifying 
the city of New York ; £4000 for erecting a stone fort and 
other conveniences for soldiers and artillery at Albany ; £800 
for a fort and block-houses at Schenectady; and £500 for 
managing the Senecas, and, if practicable, for building fortifi- 
cations in their country. 

Sec. XIII. 1734. The subject of establishing 
a court of equity was agitated in the assembly. 
The governors had previously exercised the 
office of chancellor. This exercise of power 
had, for a long time, excited the jealousy of the 
colonists, and been productive of much rancor- 
ous controvergy. After an animated debate, the 



128 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

assembly were unable to come to any reso- 
lution. 

The court party had insisted, that the governor was, ex officio, 
chancellor of the colony ; while the popular party had warmly 
opposed this position, and denied that such a court could exist, 
unless by prescription, or by act of parliament. 

Some time after 'the close of the session, certain publications 
appeared in a paper, called *' Zenger's New York Weekly 
Journal," which contained severe animadversions on the gov- 
ernment. This paper was supposed to be published under the 
patronage of Mr. Van Dam, and was, of course, decidedly 
hostile to the court. 

Several printed ballads likewise appeared, which placed some 
of the members of the legislature in a ludicrous point of view, 
insomuch that the governor and council considered the subject 
worthy of notice. 

They voted, that the obnoxious numbers of Zenger's paper, 
and two printed ballads, were derogatory to the dignity of his 
majesty's government ; that they contained reflections upon the 
legislature, and the most distinguished persons in the colony, 
and tended to raise sedition and tumult. They likewise voted, 
that said papers and ballads should be burnt by the common 
hangman. 

The attorney-general, afterwards, filed an information against 
Zenger for these libels, upon which he was acquitted, after 
having lain in prison eight months. His acquittal was generally 
satisfactory. The common council of New York, for " his 
learned and generous defence of the rights of mankind, and 
the liberty of the press," presented Mr. Andrew Hamilton, one 
of Zenger's counsel, with the freedom of the city, and their 
thanks for his distinguished services oil this occasion. The 
freedom of the city was presented in a gold box, on which 
were several classical inscriptions, highly complimentary to Mr. 
Hamilton. 

Sec. XIV. Notwithstanding the favorable 
circumstances, under which Crosby commenced 
his administration, it became, durjng the latter 



FROM 1710 TO 1743. 129 

part, 6,xtremely unpopular, and experienced a 
violent|an4 powerful opposition. 

The long continuance of the assembly with- 
out a re-election afforded just ground for com- 
plaint. This body repeatedly petitioned the 
governor to be dissolved, so as to enable its 
constituents to signify, by the elective franchise, 
their opinion of the measures it had pursued. 

.The governor, who was well aw\are that a new assembly 
would be less conformable to his views, refused to dissolve them, 
and, resisting every effort for a re-election, continued them 
through the whole of his administration. . 

Among the last acts of gov. Crosby, was his declaring Rip 
Van Dam, esq. suspended from his seat, as counsellor of the 
province. Van Dam was extremely obnoxious to the governor, 
aaid, upon the governor's demise, being senior counsellor, would 
have again succeeded to the government, as president of the 
colony. 

Sec. XV. Governor Crosby died on the 7th 
of March, 1736. 

No governor commenced an administration with better pros- 
pects and greater popularity, or endeavored less to retain the 
confidence and respect of the people. With high opinions of 
prerogative, and decided hostility to free and equal legislation, 
he became at length odious to the colony, and many of his best 
friends deserted him. 

Yet his amiable qualities must not be forgotten. He was 
affable and courteous in his deportment, honest and sincere 
in his private transactions. Though not possessed of talents 
either splendid or great, he was attentive to the concerns of 
the colony, and to the fair and impartial administration of 
justice. 

Sec. XVI. 1736. After the death of gov. 
Crosby, the council Were immediately convened, 
and George Clarke, the senior counsellor next 



130 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

after Rip Van Dam, was declared president, and 
Assumed the government. 

A powerful party was, however, formed in 
favor of Mr. Van Dam, and his suspension from 
the council was, by many, declared to be arbi- 
trary and illegal. 

The council, who were ahnost unanimous in the support of 
Mr. Clarke, voted, that provision should be made against any 
disturbances that might ensue. Orders were issued, forbidding 
any person to recognise the pretensions of Mr. Van Dam. A 
large quantity of gunpowder was directed to be procured, and 
to be placed in the fort for defence. 

Mr. Van Dam was not deterred by the menacing attitude of 
aifairs, but proceeded to call the council, and assumed the title 
of commander-in-chief and president of the colony. He ap- 
pointed several of the chartered officers of the city, and was 
about to exercise other powers incident to the office he had as- 
sumed. 

Sec. XVII. In the midst of this contention, 
and by the advice of the council, Mr. Clarke 
convened the assembly, by whom he was recog- 
nised as president of the colony. On the 39th 
of October, he received from England the com- 
mission of lieutenant-governor, which was pub- 
lished with the usual solemnities. This event 
put an end to the claims of Mr. Van Dam. • 

In his address to the assembly, Mr. Clarke alluded to the un- 
happy divisions which had arisen in the colony, and strongly 
recommended the legislature to provide for its defence, safety 
and prosperity. He directed their attention to the deficiencies 
in the revenue, and the importance of ship-building. He re- 
quested the house to provide for the finishing of fortifications 
already commenced, particularly fort Hunter, which he repre- 
sented to be in a ruinous condition, and the establishment at 
Oswego, which was in want of repairs. 



FROM 1710 TO 1743. 131 

Sec. XVIII. The assembly proceeded to act 
on the subjects recommended, but, in then' ap> 
propriations, expressly limited the revenue to 
be raised to the specific deficiencies reported to 
the house. The lieutenant-governor, wishing 
to have the direction of the revenue, took offence 
at these limitations, and dissolved the assembly. 

At the new elections, the people were much 
divided, and great exertions were made by the 
contending parties for success. The popular 
party were, however, triumphant. The new as- 
sembly was more decidedly opposed to the views 
of the lieutenant-governor than the old, and 
their controversies continued to embroil the col- 
ony during the whole of his administration. 

In these contests, the assembly were generally successful. 
In their second session, 1737, the house departed from their 
accustomed mode of proceeding, and, instead of voting to take 
the governor's speech into consideration, voted, that his honor, 
the lieutenant-governor, be addressed. This address was a bold 
and decided expose of their sentiments, and sufficiently evinces 
the proud and unbroken spirit of the colonists, incapable of 
being awed or soothed into submission by the arts or power of 
their rulers. Both in style and matter, it is a remarkable pro- 
duction, and highly honorable to the times in which it was 
formed. 

On the subject of revenue, the house adopted the following 
energetic language : — " We, therefore, beg leave to be plain 
with your honor, and hope you will not take it amiss, when we 
tell you, that you are not to expect, that we either will raise 
sums unfit to be raised, or put what we shall raise into the 
power of a governor to misapply, if we can prevent it ; nor 
shall we make up any other deficiencies than what we conceive 
are fit and just to be paid, or continue what support or revenue 
we shall raise for any longer time than one year ; nor do we 



132 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

think it convenient to do even that, until such laws are passed 
as we conceive necessary for the safety of the inhabitants of 
this colony, who have reposed a trust in us for that only purpose, 
and which we are sure you will think it reasonable we should 
act agreeable to ; and, by the grace of God, we shall endeavor 
not to deceive them." 

The character of the assembly, at this period, for firmness, 
in what it deemed the essential interests of the colony, cannot 
be disputed. The legislature, which had previously been most- 
ly under the control of the governors, now began to perceive 
its importance in the scale of government. It possessed the 
germ of that independence and freedom, which afterwards 
ripened, and displayed itself in securing the liberties of our 
country. It felt the dignity due to its own character, and 
neither ministerial smiles nor frowns could sway it from the 
path of duty. 

To repair the misconduct of the government in permitting 
the French to build a fort at Crown Point, a scheme was pto- 
jected, in 1737, for settling the lands near lake George Avith 
loyal Protestant Highlanders from Scotland. Capt. Laughlin 
Campbell, encouraged by a proclamation, came over to Ameri- 
ca, and viewed those lands ; and obtained a promise from the 
government of a grant of 30,000 acres, free from all charges 
but those of the survey and the king's quit rent. Campbell 
went home to Isla, sold his estate, and, shortly after, transported, 
at his own expense, 83 Protestant families, consisting of 423 
adults, beside a great number of children. Through the sinis- 
ter views of some persons in power, the project was hot carried, 
into effect ; and Campbell, after seeking in vain for redress, 
left the colonists to themselves, and, with the poor remains of 
his broken fortune, purchased a small farm in the province.* 

In 1738, capt. Norris, of the ship Tartar, then lying in the 
harbor of New York, made application to the mayor for liberty 
to iiT press -thirty seamen to man his vessel. The governor and 
council ordered the mayor to cause the impressment to be made. 
The mayor peremptorily refused to obey the order, and the 
governor and council prudently declined taking any measures 
to compel obedience. 

* Smith. 



FROM 1710 TO 1743. 133 

In 1741, the Negroes formed a plot to burn the city. One 
hundred and fifty-four were committed to prison, of whom 
fourteen were burnt at the stake, eighteen hanged, seventy-one 
transported, and the remainder pardoned or discharged for 
want of proof. 

Twenty white persons were committed, of whom two only 
were executed. The city of New York contained, at this time, 
12000 souls, of whom one sixth were slaves. 

Sec. XIX. Governor Clarke closed his ad- 
ministration in September, 1743. Like that of 
his predecessor, it was distinguished by a strict 
and pertinacious adherence to prerogative, and 
presents little else than an arduous and contin- 
ued struggle for ascendency between the govern- 
or and the assembly, supported by their respective 
partisans. 

With few exceptions, he evinced a strong desire to conciliate 
the affections of the people, and, apart from his notions of 
monarchy, he contributed much to the prosperity of the colony. 
His constant attention to the promotion of trade and commerce, 
entitled him to our applause. 
12 



134 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

CHAP. VIII. 

FROM 1743 TO 1756. 

George CU7iton appointed Governor. War ivith 
France. Expedition against Louisburg. In- 
cursions of the French and Indians. Operations 
of the War in 1746. Capture of the French 
Fleet. Indian Depredations. Termination of 
the War. Osborne appointed Governor^ dies, 
and is succeeded by Delancey. Hostilities again 
commenced ivith the French. Colonial Conven- 
tion. Hardy appointed Governor. Colonies 
prosecute the War. 

Sec. I. 1743. His excellency George Clin- 
ton was appointed to supersede Mr. Clarke as 
governor of the colony. He arrived on the 23d 
of September, and assumed the administration 
of the government. 

The arrival of governor Clinton was highly 
gratifying to the feelings of the colonists. The 
assembly was, according to custom, dissolved, 
and a new one elected. In addressing them, the 
language of the governor was mild and unas- 
suming. Their reply was complimentary, anci 
passed over in silence the former subjects of 
controversy between the executive and the as- 
sembly. 

Sec. II. 1744. War was declared between 
France and England, and great preparations 



FROM 1743 TO 1756. 135 

were made on both sides for its prosecution. A 
similar spirit pervaded their respective colonies 
in America. Large appropriations were made, 
by the assembly of New York, for putting the 
country in a posture of defence. 

Sec. III. In 1745, the English colonies united 
in forming an expedition against Louisbiirg, the 
capital of Cape Breton island, which was in- 
trusted to the command of sir William Pepperelh 
This important fortress was surrendered by the 
French in June. Five thousand pounds were 
voted by the assembly of New York for the 
promotion of this enterprise. 

The troops destined for this expedition, mostly from New 
England, were embarked at Canso, and the fleet, under general 
Peppereil and commodore Warren, arrived in Chapeaurouge 
bay, on the 13th of April. The enemy were, mitil this mo- 
ment, in profomid ignorance that any attack was meditated 
against them. 

" The sight of the transports gave the alarm to the French, 
and a detachment was sent to oppose the landing of the troops. 
But, while the general diverted the attention of the enemy by 
a feint at one place, he was landing his men at another. 

" The next morning, 400 of the English marched round the 
hills to the north-east harbor, setting fire to all the houses and 
stores, till they came within a mile of the royal battery. The 
conflagration of the stores, in which was a considerable quanti- 
.ty of tar, concealed the English troops, at the same time that 
it increased the alarm of the French so greatly, that they pre- 
cipitately abandoned the royal battery.' Upon their flight, the 
English took possession of it, and, by means of a well-directed 
fire from it, seriously damaged the" town. 

" The main body of the army now commenced the siege. For 
14 nights they were occupied in drawing cannon towards the 
town^ over a morass, in which oxen and horses could not be 



136 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

used. Incredible was the toil ; but what could not men accom- 
plish, who had been accustomed to draw the pines of the forest 
for masts ? By the twentieth of May, several fascine batteries 
had been erected, one of which mounted five 42 pounders. 
On opening these batteries, they did great execution. 

" In the meantime, commodore Warren captured the Vigilant, 
a French ship of 74 guns, and with her 560 men, together with 
great quantities of military stores. This capture was of great 
consequence, as it not only increased the English force, and 
added to their military supplies, but as it seriously lessened the 
strength of the enemy. Shortly after this capture, the number 
of the English fleet was considerably augmented by the arrival 
of several men of war. A combined attack by sea and land 
was now determined on, and fixed for the 18th of June. 

" Previously to the arrival of this additional naval force, much 
had been accomplished towards the reduction of the place. 
The inland battery had been silenced ; the western gate of the 
town was beaten down, and a breach effected in the wall ; the 
circular battery of 16 guns was nearly ruined, and the western 
flank of the king's bastion was nearly demolished. 

•" Such being the injured state of the works, and perceiving 
preparations making for a joint assault, to sustain which little 
pr9spect remained, on the 15th, the enemy desired a cessation 
of hostilities, and on the 17th of June, after a siege of 49 days, 
the city of Louisburg and the island of Cape Breton were 
surrendered to his Britannic majesty. 

" Thus successfully terminated a daring expedition, which had 
been undertaken without the knowledge of the mother country. 
The acquisition of the fortress of Louisburg was as useful and 
important to the colonies, and ta the British empire, as its re- 
duction was surprising to that empire, and mortifying to the 
court of France. 

" Besides the stores and prizes which fell into the hands of the 
EAglish, which were estimated at little less than a million ster- 
ling, security was given to the colonies in their fisheries ; Nova 
Scotia was preserved, and the trade and fisheries of France 
nearly ruined."* 

* Goodrich. 



FROM 1743 TO 1756. 137 

Sec. IV. During the operations at Louisburg, 
intelligence was received at New York, that 1500 
French and 100 Indians intended to surprise 
the English settlements near the mouth of the 
St. Lawrence, and on their return to attack Os- 
wego. 

An attempt was made by colonel Schuyler and 
major Collins to erect block-houses at Saratoga, 
but was frustrated by the great numbers of the 
enemy's Indians, who were constantly on the 
watch, and cutting off supplies and troops. The 
inhabitants of Albany and the adjacent country 
became alarmed for their safety ; and murders 
and robberies were frequently committed by the 
Indians within a few miles of the city. 

A draft of 200 men was made for the relief 
of Albany and Schenectady. The town of 
Hoosic was deserted by its inhabitants, and, to- 
wards the close of the year, the settlements -at 
Saratoga were almost literally depopulated. 

The houses and fort were burnt, and many 
shocking barbarities committed by the Indians, 
who, in accordance with their ancient mode of 
warfare, scalped the men, women and children 
who fell into their hands. The New England 
colonies experienced similar incursions. 

Sec. V. 1746. The success of the expedition 
to Cape Breton led the colonies to project the 
conquest of Canada. 

The plan was, that a squadron, under the com- 
mand of admiral Warren, and a body of land 
12* 



138 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

forces under gen. St. Clair, should be sent from 
England ; that the troops, raised from the New 
England colonies, should join the British fleet 
and army at Louisburg, and proceed up the river 
St. Lawrence ; and that those of New York, 
and other colonies at the south, should be col- 
lected at Albany, and march against Crown Point 
and Montreal. 

The colonies, pleased with the measure, fur- 
nished their quotas of men ; but no armament 
arrived from England ; and it was resolved to 
employ the. forces .in an attempt against the 
French at Crown Point. Governor Clinton en- 
gaged the assistance of the Six Nations. 

In the midst of these preparations, intelligence 
was received, that a large fleet from France had 
arrived at Nova Scotia, under the command of the 
duke D'Anville. It consisted of 40 ships of war, 
exclusive of transports ; and brought over about 
4000 regular troops, wdth supplies of military 
stores. 

Sec. VI. The expedition against Canada 
was abandoned, and vigorous measures taken 
for the defence of the colonies. Their appre- 
hensions were soon after relieved by intelligence 
of the misfortunes of the enemy. 

The French fleet had sustained much damaore 
by storms, and great loss by shipwrecks. Sick- 
ness prevailed among their troops. D'Anville 
was seized with an apoplectic fit, and suddenly 
expired. The remainder of the squadron was 
overtaken by a severe tempest off" cape Sable, 



FROM 1743 TO 1756. 139 

and the few ships that escaped destruction re- 
turned singly to France. 

During the summer of the present year, (1746,) the city of 
Albany ,was visited by a contagious disease, which proved 
• mortal to a great number of its inhabitants. In its appearance 
and effects, it resembled the disease which has since been 
called the yelloto fever. Of the Indians, then encamped near 
the city, many became victims to this disease, and the govern- 
or discharged the others, on account of the ravages of the 
contagion. The disease subsided as the cold season approached, 
and by winter it had wholly disappeared. 

Considerable difference of opinion had, for some time, existed 
between the governor and the assembly. Much warmth of 
feeling v/as manifested, and this increasing dissension was 
productive of serious inconvenience to the warlike operations 
of the colony. 

The governor charged the house with culpable neglect in 
providing for the defence of the colony. This was highly re- 
sented by the assembly, who, in return, charged the governor 
with fraud and mismanagement in the administration of the 
government. The embarrassed state of the finances, arising 
from the expenses of the war, and the predatory excursions of 
the Indians, imposed a heavy burthen upon the inhabitants. 

An event occurred, during the present season, which tend- 
ed not a little to keep up the controversy between the govern- 
or and the legislature. On the refusal of the commissioners, 
appointed to purchase provisions for the forces raised by the 
colony in the expedition against Canada, to appropriate certain 
provisions for the supply of four independent companies of 
fusileers, the provisions were forcibly seized and appropriated 
by order of the governor. The house was highly inflamed by 
this act of violence, and passed several spirited resolutions, 
declaring the seizure to be arbitrary, illegal, and a manifest 
violation of the rights and liberties of the subject. After some 
concessions on the part of the governor, the assembly were, 
however, apparently conciliated.* 

Sec. VIL 1747. The French fitted out 

* Smith. 



140 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

another expedition, consisting of six ships of the 
line, six frigates and four armed East India ships, 
with 29 merchant ships and transports. They 
were overtaken by a superior British squadron 
under admirals Anson and Warren, and, after a' 
sanguinary engagement, were compelled to sur- 
render. 

During this season, Saratoga again experi- 
enced an incursion of the French and Indians. 
The village, containing 30 families, was destroy- 
ed, and the inhabitants massacred. Towards 
the close of this year, a general inactivity char- 
acterized the measures of the belligerent powers. 
Both parties, mutually exhausted, appeared verg- 
ing towards a general pacification. 

Sec. VIII. 1748. In April, the prehmina- 
ries were signed at Aix la Chapelle, and a 
cessation of hostilities was soon after proclaimed. 
The definitive treaty was completed on the 7th 
of October. Prisoners, on both sides, were to 
be released without ransom, and all conquests 
to be restored. 

After the close of the war, the colony enjoyed, 
for several years, a period of general tranquillity. 
Released from the apprehensions of hostile ir- 
ruptions, the inhabitants vigorously addressed 
themselves to the arts of peace ; and, by industry, 
economy and enterprise, they, in a great measure, 
repaired the losses sustained by the preceding 
war. The increase of commerce, and the rapid 
extension of their settlements, evince the success 
that attended their exertions. 



FROM 1743 TO 1756. 141 

In 1750, the entries at New York were 232, and the clear- 
ances 286. Above 6000' tons of provisions, chiefly flour, were 
exported, besides large quantities of grain. 

Sec. IX. 1753. Governor Clinton having 
resigned, sir Danverse Osborne was appointed 
to succeed him, as governor of the colony. He 
took his seat at the council-board on the 10th 
of October, and died on the 12th. James 
Delancey, who had been appointed lieutenant- 
governor by one of the last acts of governor 
Clinton, assumed the administration of the gov- 
ernment. 

The tragical fate of governor Osborne deserves a more 
particular notice. He put an end to his existence by hanging 
himself, in^ the garden of Mr. Murray, with whom he resided. 
The act was supposed to have been perpetrated under the in- 
fluence of insanity, occasioned by embarrassments, which, 
he apprehended, would attend the exercise of his commis- 
sion. 

Mr. Smith, after detailing the particulars relative to this 
event, observes, *' A point of honor and duty,^ in a foreseen 
difficulty to reconcile his conduct with his majesty's instruc- 
tions, very probably, gave his heart a fatal stab, and produced 
that terrible disorder in his mind, which occasioned his laying 
violent hands upon himself" 

Sec. X. The colony had scarcely begun to 
realize the benefits of peace, when they were 
again menaced with foreign war. By the treaty 
of Aix la Chapelle, the controversy between the 
two crowns, relative to their claims in America, 
was referred to commissioners, to be appointed 
by the two sovereigns, for that purpose. These 
commissioners met the preceding year at Paris, 
and, after making laborious efforts to establish 



142 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

the claims of their respective sovereigns, were 
unable to come to any agreement. 

The settlements of the English and French 
colonies were, in the mean time, approximating 
nearer to each other, and their respective lead- 
ers were anxious to secure the most eligible sit- 
uations for trading-houses and forts. Mutual 
complaints of aggression were soon followed by 
acts of open hostility. The British ministry, on 
being made acquainted with the claims of the 
French, without a formal declaration of war, 
directed the colonies to resist their encroach- 
ments by force of arms. 

Sec. XL 1754. A convention of delegates 
from New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecti- 
cut, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania and Maryland, 
with the lieutenant-governor and council of New 
York, was held at Albany, for the purpose* of 
uniting upon some scheme for the common 
defence of the colonies. 

A plan of union was adopted, in several of 
its features resembling the present constitution 
of the United States ; but it had the singular 
fortune to be rejected by the provincial assem- 
blies, because it gave too much power to the 
crown, and, at the same time, to be rejected by 
the crown, because it gave too much power to 
the people. 

" According to this plan, a grand council was to be formed 
of members chosen by the provincial assemblies, and sent 
from all the colonies; which council, with a governor-general, 
appointed by the crown, and having a negative voice, should 



FROM 1743 TO 1756. 143 

be empowered to make general laws, to raise money in all the 
colonies for their defence, to call forth troops, regulate trade, 
lay duties, &c. &c." 

" The plan, thus matured, was approved and signed on the 
4th of July, the day that Washington surrendered fort Neces- 
sity, and 22 years before the declaration of independence, by 
all the delegates, excepting those from Connecticut, who ob- 
jected to the negative voice of the governor-general." 

" One circumstance, in the history of this plan, deserves 
here to be recorded, as evincing the dawning spirit of the 
revolution. Although the plan was rejected by the provincial 
assemblies, they declared, without reserve, that, if it were 
adopted, they would undertake to defend themselves from the 
French, without any assistance from Great Britain. They 
required but to be left to employ their supplies in their own 
'way, to effect their security and predominance." 

During the present year, several gentlemen in the city of 
New York, at the head of whom was lieutenant-governor De- 
lancey, made exertions for the establishment of a college. 
An act had been passed, in 1753, appointing trustees for this 
pui*pose, and making some provision for a fund by a succession 
of lotteries. In October of the present year, a charter was 
passed, incorporating several persons ex officio, and 24 prin- 
cipal gentlemen of the city, including some of the clergy of 
diiferent denominations, and their successors, by the name 
and title of " the governors of the college of the province of 
New Yorkj in the city of New York, in America." Dr. Sam- 
uel Johnson, a learned and respectable minister of the Epis- 
copal church in Stratford, Connecticut, was appointed in the 
charter the first president, and the president was ever after to 
be in the communion of the church of England. An institu- 
tion was likewise, the same year, projected, for promoting a 
spirit of inquiry among the people, by a loan of books to 
non-subscribers. The trustees were annually eligible by the 
subscribers, and had the disposal of the contributions, with 
the appointment of the librarian and clerk. Nearly «£600 
were raised, and a foundation was laid for an institution, 
ornamental to the metropolis, and useful to the colony. The 



144 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

books were deposited in the town hall. Gov. Try on after- 
ward gave the trustees a charter.* 

Sec. XII. 1755. Sir Charles Hardy arrived 
in September with the commission of governor, 
which was published with the usual solemnities. 
During his residence in the colony, he appears 
to have been principally under the influence of 
Delancey, to whom, on leaving, he committed 
the government. In 1757, he embarked with a 
command in the expedition against Louisburg, 
and Delancey resumed the administration, as 
lieutenant-governor. 

The raising of revenue for defraying the ex- 
penses of the civil list, and of supplies for the 
defence of the country, and the prosecution of 
the war, in common with the other colonies, 
comprised, during this period, the most impor- 
tant acts of government. The city of New 
York contained, at this time, 2000 houses, and 
about 12,000 inhabitants. 

Liberal appropriations were made for putting the province 
in a posture of defence, and for the prosecution of the de- 
signs against the French. In February, 1755, 45,000 pounds 
were voted for these objects, and bills of credit to that amount, 
redeemable on the collection of the money by taxes, were 
immediately issued. In May, a levy of 800 men was ordered, 
by the legislature, to cooperate with the forces from the other 
colonies in the expedition against Canada, and 10,000 pounds 
appropriated towards defraying the expense of the enterprise. 
Laws were also passed authorizing the impressment of ship- 
carpenters, joiners and other laborers for building boats, and 
the seizure of horses, wagons and boats for the public ser- 
vice. By another act, passed the same year, every male, between 

** Holmes's Annals. 



FROM 1743 TO 1756. 145 

16 and 60, was required to enrol himself in the militia. Slaves, 
in cases of imminent danger, were required to do military 
duty. By the same act, any slave or slaves, above the age of 
14, who should be found a mile or more from the plantation 
of his or their master, without a certificate signifying the 
business he or they might be sent on, should be adjudged 
guilty of felony, without benefit of clergy. It was, also, 
made lawful for any person or persons, finding such slave or 
slaves, to shoot or destroy him or them, without being liable 
to prosecution or impeachment for the same. 

Sec. XIIL Early in the spring of 1755, the 
colonies made preparations for vigorous exer- 
tions against the enemy. An expedition was 
planned against the French in Nova Scotia ; 
another against the French on the Ohio ; a third 
against Crown Point ; and a fourth against Ni ■ 
agara. 

Sec. XIV. The first expedition resulted in 
the entire reduction of Nova Scotia, and the 
acquisition of large quantities of provisions and 
military stores. That against the French on the 
Ohio, owing to the imprudence of general Brad 
dock, the commander, was peculiarly unfortunate 
When within seven miles of fort du Quesne,* 
they were surprised by a body of French and 
Indians, and, after an action of three hours, 
Braddock, under whom five horses had been 
killed, was mortally wounded, and his troops 
defeated. 

When within 12 or 14 miles of fort du Quesne, Braddock 
was advised by his officers to proceed with caution ; and was 
earnestly entreated by colonel Washington, his aid, to permit 
him to precede the army, and guard against surprise. 

* Now Pittsburg. 



146 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

" Had he attended to those precautions, he would not have 
been thus ambuscaded ; or had he wisely retreated from a con 
cealed enemy, and scoured the thicket with his cannon, the 
melancholy catastrophe might have been avoided. But, obsti 
nately rivetted to the spot on which he was first attacked, be 
vainly continued his attempt to form his men in regular or 
der, although, by this means, a surer prey to the enemy, until, 
being himself wounded, he could no longer be accessary to 
the destruction of human life. 

" A remarkable fact in the history of this affair remains to 
be told. General Braddock held the provincial troops in great 
contempt. Consequently, he kept the Virginians, and other 
provincials, who were in the action, in the rear. Yet, although 
equally exposed with the rest, far from being affected with the 
fears that disordered the regular troops, they stood firm and 
unbroken, and, under colonel Washington, covered the retreat 
of the regulars, and saved them from total destruction. 

" The retreat of the army, after Braddock was wounded, was 
precipitate. No pause was made until the rear division was 
met. This division, on its junction with the other, was 
seized with the same spirit of flight with the retreating, and 
both divisions proceeded to fort Cumberland, a distance of 
nearly 120 miles from the place of action. 

" Had the troops, even here, recovered their spirits, and re- 
turned, success might still have crowned the expedition. At 
least, the army might have rendered the most important ser- 
vice to the cause, by preventing the devastations and inhu- 
man murders perpetrated by the French and Indians, during 
the summer, on the western borders of Virginia and Pennsyl- 
vania. But, instead of adopting a course so salutary and 
important, colonel Dunbar, leaving the sick and wounded at 
Cumberland, marched, with his troops, to Philadelphia."* 

Sec. XV. The expedition against Crpwn Point, 
commanded by general William Johnson, though 
unsuccessful in its main object, served, in some 
measure, to dispel the gloom which followed the 
defeat of Braddock. 

* Goodrich. 



FROM 1743 TO 1756. 147 

Johnson encamped, the latter part of August, 
at the south end of lake George, where he was 
informed, that a body of the enemy, 2000 in 
number, had landed at South bay, under the 
command of baron Dieskau, and were marching 
towards fort Edward, for the purpose of destroy- 
ing the provisions and military stores at that 
place. A party of 1200 men, under colonel Wil- 
liams, were detached to intercept them, but were 
unfortunately surprised by Dieskau, who was 
lying in ambush, and, after a signal slaughter, 
were compelled to retreat. Colonel Williams, 
and Hendrick, a renowned Mohawk chief, with 
many other officers, were killed. 

Dieskau, with his troops, soon appeared be- 
fore the encampment of Johnson, and com- 
menced a spirited attack. They were received 
with great intrepidity, and the cannon and 
musketry did such execution among their 
ranks, that the enemy were forced to retire in 
confusion. Dieskau, after being severely 
wounded, fell into the hands of the English. 
The loss of the French was about 800 ; that of 
the English did not exceed 200. 

The rendezvous for the projected expeditions against 
Crown Point and Niagara had been appointed to be at Al- 
bany. " Most of the troops had arrived at that place before 
the end of June ; but the artillery, batteaux, provisions, and 
other necessaries for the attempt on Crown Point, could not 
be prepared until the 8th of August, when general Johnson 
fiet out with them from Albany, for the carrying-place between 
the Hudson and lake George. General Lyman, with the 
troops, amounting to between 5000 and 6000, had already 



148 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

arrived there, and begun a fort at the landing on the east 
side of Hudson's river, which was, at first, called /or^ Lyman, 
afterward /orf Edward, Toward the end of the month, gen- 
eral Johnson, with the main body, moved forward more 
northerly, and pitched his camp at the south end of lake 
George, previously called St. Sacrament. Here he learned 
by some Indians, who had been sent out as scouts, that they 
had discovered a party of French and Indians at Ticonderoga, 
situated on the isthmus between the north end of lake George 
and the southern part of lake Champlain, 15 miles on this 
side of Crown Point ; but that no works were thrown up. 
Johnson was impatient to get up his batteaux, intending then 
to proceed with part of the troops, and seize that important 
pass. During the delay, the French furnished him sufficient 
employment at his own camp. 

" A body of French troops had lately arrived at Quebec 
under the command of baron Dieskau, The French court, 
apprized of the importance of Oswego, had given instructions 
to the baron to reduce it. Proceeding immediately to Mon- 
treal, he thence detached 700 of his troops up the river, 
intending speedily to join them with the remainder ; but, just 
before he had made the necessary preparations, Montreal was 
alarmed with news that the English were forming a numerous 
army near lake St. Sacrament for the reduction of fort Fred- 
erick at Crown Point, and perhaps to penetrate into Canada. 
In a grand council, holden on this occasion, the baron was 
importuned to pass through lake Champlain for the defence 
of the threatened fortress. Dieskau, after waiting a while at 
fort Frederick for the approach of the English army, resolved 
to advance toward it, and, in case of victory, to desolate the 
northern interior settlements, lay Albany and Schenectady in 
ashes, and cut off all communication with Oswego. For the 
execution of this design, he embarked at fort Frederick with 
2000 men in batteaux, and, landing at South bay, proceeded 
toward fort Edward. By an English prisoner he was informed, 
what the fort was defenceless, and that the English camp at 
the lake was, a few days before, without lines, and desti- 
tute of cannon. When arrived within two miles of fort Ed- 
ward, he disclosed to the troops his design of attacking it; 



FROM 1743 TO 175G. 149 

but the Canadians and Indians, fearful of the English cannoH, 
were averse to its execution. On their declaring, however, 
their willingness to surprise the English camp at lake St. Sa- 
crament, the baron changed his route, and began to move 
against the main body at that lake. 

" In the mean time, general Johnson, having learned from his 
scouts, that the French had departed from South bay toward 
fort Edward, despatched separate messengers to that fort, with 
advices of the enemy's approach. One of the messengers was 
intercepted and killed ; the others returned with intelligence 
that they had descried the enemy about four miles northward 
of the fort. A council of war resolved, the next morning, to 
send out a large detachment of men to intercept the enemy in 
their return from fort Edward. This service was committed 
to colonel Ephraim Williams, a brave officer, who, at the head 
of 1000 men, with about 200 Indians, met the baron within 
four miles of the camp. That able commander had made 
an advantageous disposition of his men to receive the English. 
Keeping the main body of his regulars with him in the centre, 
he ordered the Canadians and Indians to advance on the 
right and left, in the woods, in such a manner as to enclose 
their enemy. When the American troops were considerably 
within the ambuscade, Hendrick, an old Mohawk sachem, 
who, too late, had been sent out with his Indians as a flank- 
guard, was hailed by a hostile Indian ;* and instantly there 
commenced a smart fire, which soon became general. The 
provincials fought bravely ; but, finding the enemy, who were 
of superior numbers, endeavoring to surround them, they 
were forced to retreat. The loss of the Americans was con- 
siderable. Colonel Williams was among the slain. Hen- 
drick was also killed, with a number of his Indians, who fought 

* " The Indian called to Hendrick, < Whence came you ?' * From tlie 
Mohawks,' he replied. ' Whence came you ?' rejoined Hendrick. ' From 
Montreal,' was the answer. The firing that now began brought on the 
action sooner than was intended by Dieskau, who had ordered his flank- 
ing parties to reserve their fire until a discharge from the centre. It was 
his intention to let the advancing troops get completely within the am- 
buscade before the firing commenced; in which case, the whole detach 
raent would, probably, have been cut off. These, and some other partic 
ulars of the action, are from authentic verbal information." 
13 * 



150 HISTORY OF TVEW YORK. 

with grea-t intrepidity. The loss of the enemy was also 
considerable, and among the slain was M. St. Pierre, who 
commanded all the Indians. The retreating troops joined 
the main body, and waited the approach of their assailants, 
rendered more formidable by success. 

, " About half after eleven, the enemy appeared in sight of 
Johnson's army, which was encamped on the banks of lake 
George, and was covered on each side by a low, thick-wood- 
ed swamp. General Johnson had mounted several pieces of 
cannon, which he had most opportunely received two days 
before from fort Edward ; and trees had been felled to form a 
sort of breastwork, which was all his cover against an attack. 
The enemy marched along the road in very regular order, 
directly on the English centre, and, when within about 150 
yards of the breastwork,; made a small halt. The regular 
troops now made the grand and central attack, while the Ca- 
nadians and Indians dispersed on the English flanks. The 
baron continuing, for some time, a distant platoon-fire with 
little execution, the English recovered their spirits, and de- 
termined on a resolute defence. As soon as their artillery 
began to play, the Canadians and Indians fled into the swamps. 
The French general was obliged to order a retreat; and his 
troops, retiring in great disorder, were followed by a party 
from the camp, which fell on their rear, and precipitated their 
flight. The English not continuing their pursuit, the enemy 
halted about four miles from the camp, at the very place 
where the engagement happened in the morning, and opened 
their packs for refreshment. At this juncture, about 200 men 
of the New Hampshire forces, which had been <ietached from 
fort Edward to the assistance of the main body, fell upon the 
French, and completely routed them. Captain M'Gijines, 
the brave commander of the provincials, fell in the action."* 
*' At the time it was meditated to send a detachment, under 
colonel Williams, to intercept Dieskau, the number of men pro- 
posed was mentioned to Hendrick, the Mohawk chief, and 
his opinion asked. He replied, " If they are to fight, they 
are too few. If they are to be killed, they are too many." 
The number was, accordingly, increased. General Johnson 

* Holmes's Annals. 



FROM 1743 TO 1756. 151 

proposed, also, to divide the -detachment into three parties. 
Upon this, Hendrick took three sticks, and, putting them 
together, said to him, " Put these together, and you cannot 
break them ; take them one by one, and you will break them 
easily." The hint succeeded, and Hendrick's sticks saved 
many of the party, and, probably, the whole army, from de- 
struction.* 

Early in the action, general Johnson was wounded, and 
general Lyman succeeded to the command, which he held 
through the day. To this gentleman's gallant exertions the 
success' of the day, under Providence, was chiefly to be as- 
cribed. Yet it is remarkable, that general Johnson made no 
mention of general Lyman in his official letter, announcing 
the intelligence of the victory. The ambition of Johnson was 
too great, and his avarice too greedy, to acknowledge the merits 
of a rival. General Johnson was created a baronet, and 
parliament voted him 5000 pounds sterling, in consideration 
of his success. The reward of general Lyman was the esteem 
and honor of the people among whom he lived. 

Among the wounded of the French, as already stated, 
was the baron Dieskau. He had received a ball throuo-h his 
leg, and, being unable to follow his retreating army, was 
found by an English soldier, resting upon the stump of a 
tree, with scarcely an attendant. Dieskau, apprehensive for 
his safety, was feeling for his watch, in order to give it to the 
soldier, when the man, suspecting that he was feeling for a 
pistol, levelled his gun, and wounded him in the hips. He 
was carried to the camp, and treated with great kindness. 
From the camp he was taken to Albany and New York, 
whence, some time after, he sailed for England, where he 
died. He was a superior officer, possessed of honorable 
feelings, and adorned with highly polished manners. One 
stain, however, attaches to his character. Before his engage- 
ment with colonel Williams's corps, he gave orders to his 
troops neither to give nor take quarter. 

" The repulse of Dieskau revived the spirits of the colonists, 
depressed by the recent defeat of general Braddock ; but the 

*Dwight's Travels. 



153 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

success was not improved in any proportion to their expecta- 
tion. General Shirley, now the commander-in-chief, urged 
' an attempt on Ticonderoga; but, a council of war judging it 
unadvisable, Johnson employed the remainder of the cam- 
paign in fortifying his camp. On a meeting of commissioners 
from Massachusetts and Connecticut with the governor and 
council of New York, in October, it was unanimously agreed, 
that the army under general Johnson should be discharged, 
excepting 600 men, who should be engaged to garrison fort 
Edward and fort William Henry. The French took possession 
of Ticonderoga, and fortified it."* 

Sec. XVI. Governor Shirley, of Massachu- 
setts, took the command of the expedition against 
Niagara. He advanced to Oswego, where, be- 
ing poorly supphed with provisions, and the 
rainy season approaching, the expedition was 
abandoned, and the troops returned to Albany. 

i "General Shirley experienced such delays, that he did not 
reach Oswego till the 21st of August. On his arrival, he 
made all necessary preparations for the expedition to Niagara ; 
but, through the desertion of batteaux-men, the scarcity ot 
wagons on the Mohawk river, and the desertion of sledge- 
men at the great carrying-place, the conveyance of provisions 
and stores w^as so much retarded, that nearly four weeks 
elapsed before he could go upon action. A council of war, 
which he held at his camp on the 18th of September, advis- 
ing to the attempt on Niagara, 600 regulars were drafted for 
that expedition ; the artillery and ordnance stores were ship- 
ped on board the sloop Ontario ; and part of the provisions 
were put on board another sloop, the residue being ready for 
the row-galleys, whale-boats and batteaux. A continuation 
of heavy rains, which set in on the 18th, rendered it impossi- 
ble for the troops (400 of whom were to go in open boats) 
to pass the lake with any safety until the 26th of the month, 
when, on the abatement of the storm, orders were immediate- 
ly issued for their embarkation. These orders could not be 

* Holmes's Annals. 



FROM 1743 TO 1756. 153 

executed. Though there was a short intermission of the rain, 
the western winds began to blow with increased fury, and 
were succeeded by continual rains for ]3 days. Sickness 
now prevailed in the camp. The few Indians that had re- 
mained dispersed. The season was far advanced. In a 
council of war, called on the 27th, and composed of the 
same members who composed the last, it was unanimously 
resolved advisable to defer the expedition to the succeeding 
year ; to leave colonel Mercer at Oswego, with a garrison of 
700 men ; to build two additional forts for the security of the 
place ; and that the general should return with the rest of the 
army to Albany."* 

* Holmes's Annals. 



154 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 



CHAP. IX. 

COXTINUATION OF THE FRENCH lYAR. 
FROM 1756 TO 17G0. 

Formal Declaration of War. Campaign of 1756, 
and Capture of Oswego. Campaign of 1157, 
and Capture of Fort William Henry. Expedi- 
tion against Ticonderoga. Capture of Fort 
Frontenac. Campaign of 1759. Surrender 
of Ticonderoga and Crown Poifit, Capture of 
Niagara. Wolfe''s Expedition against Quebec. 
War terminated in 1760 by the entire Co7iquest 
of Canada, 

Sec. I. 1756. Hostilities had thus far been 
prosecuted by the colonies, without any formal 
declaration of war on the part of the mother 
country. On the 18th of May, the present year, 
war was formally declared by Great Britain, and 
this declaration, soon after, reciprocated by a 
similar declaration on the part of France. 

In the plan of operations for the present year, 
Niagara and Crown Point, two strong holds of 
great importance, then in the possession of the 
enemy, were constituted the principal points of 
attack. 

" The plan for the campaign of this year had been settled 
in a council of colonial governors at New York. It was 
agreed to raise 10,000 men for an expedition against Crown 
Point, 6000 for an expedition against Niagara, and 3000 for 
an expedition against fort du Quesne. In addition to this 
formidable force, and in aid of its operations, it was agreed 



FROM 175G TO 1760. 155 

that 2000 men should advance up the river Kennebeck, destroy 
the settlements on the Chaudiere, and, descending to the 
mouth of that river, within three miles of Quebec, keep all that 
part of Canada in alarm. To facilitate the reduction of Crown 
Point, it was proposed to take advantage of the season when 
the lake should be frozen over to seize Ticonderoga."* 

Early in the present year, an act was passed by the legisla- 
ture of the state, authorizing the commander of the militia of 
Albany county to send out detachments of men to act as 
rangers, in order to guard against a surprise by the enemy. 
In April, an act was passed for raising 1715 men to cooperate 
with the troops of the other colonies in the enterprise against 
Canada. To carry the levy into effect, and provide supplies 
for the men in service, bills of credit to the amount of 52,000 
pounds were issued on the faith of the colony. In December, 
a law was passed for billeting and quartering the king's forces 
upon the inhabitants. To meet the expenses of the war, 
duties were imposed on all imports, stamps introduced, and 
almost every method of taxation resorted to, which could 
extort money from the people, whose resources had been ex- 
hausted by the two ])receding campaigns. 

Sec. II. General Abercrombie was appoint- 
ed to command, until the arrival of the earl of 
Loudon, who was to be commander-in-chief of 
all his majesty's forces in America. Owing to 
the improvidence of Abercrombie, nothing was 
effected by the English. The campaign was 
unfortunately signalized by the capture of Os- 
wego, which was surrendered to the French in 
August. 

" The militia of the several provinces, assembled at Albany, 
remained there, for the want of a commander-in-chief, till the 
latter end of June, when general Abercrombie joined them 
in that capacity. The general brought over with him the 

* Holmes's Annals. 



156' HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

35th regiment, and the 42d, or lord George Murray's regiment 
of Highlanders. These two corps, Pepperell's, Shirley's, the 
44th and 48th regiments, with four independent companies 
from New York, four from Carolina, and a considerable body 
of provincials, now composed the British troops in North 
America. 

" The command of the expedition against Crown Point 
was given to major-general Winslow, who, on reviewing the 
provincial troops destined for that service, found them not 
much to exceed 7000 men — a number which, after deducting 
from it the necessary garrisons, was declared inadequate to 
the enterprise. The arrival of British troops with general 
Abercrombie, while it relieved this difficulty, created a new 
one, which occasioned a temporary suspension of the project- 
ed expedition. The regulation of the crown respecting mili- 
tary rank had excited great disgust in America ; and Winslow, 
when consulted on this delicate subject by Abercrombie, 
expressed his apprehensions, that, if the result of a junction 
of British and provincial troops should be the placing of the 
provincials under British officers, it would produce very gen- 
eral discontent, and, perhaps, desertion. To avoid so serious 
an evil, it was finally agreed, that British troops should suc- 
ceed the provincials in the posts then occupied by them, so 
as to enable the whole colonial force to proceed under Wins- 
low against Crown Point. General Abercrombie, who had 
superseded general Shirley as commander-in-chief, now yielded 
the command to the earl of Loudon. On the arrival of that 
nobleman, the same subject was revived. While the colonial 
officers readily consented to act in conjunction with the 
European troops, and cheerfully submitted, in all dutiful obe- 
dience, to the British commander-in-chief, they entreated it as 
a favor of his lordship, as the New England troops had been 
raised on particular terms, and had proceeded thus far ac- 
cording to their original organization, that he would permit 
them to act separately, so far as it might be consistent with 
his majesty's service. Scarcely vi^as this point of honor satis- 
factorily adjusted, when the attention of both British and 
provincial soldiers was arrested by a more serious subject." 



FROM 1756 TO 17G0. 15t 

The marquis de Montcalm, commander of the French 
troops in Canada, collected a force of 1300 regulars, 1700 
Canadians, with a considerable number of Indians, and pro- 
ceeded from fort Frontenac by the way of lake Ontario. On 
his arrival at Oswego, he stationed two large armed vessels to 
block up the place by water, and posted a strong body of 
Canadians and Indians to cut off all communication with 
Albany. Having brought up his artillery and stores, on the 
12th of August, he opened his trenches before fort Ontario. 
The garrison having fired away all their shells and ammuni- 
tion, colonel Mercer, the commanding officer, ordered the 
cannon to be spiked up, and crossed the river to Little Oswego 
fort, without the loss of a single man. The enemy, taking 
immediate possession of the deserted fort, began a fire from 
it, which was kept up without intermission. About four 
miles and a half up the river was fort George, the defence of 
which was committed to colonel Schuyler. On the abandon- 
ment of the first fort by colonel Mercer, about 370 of his 
men had joined colonel Schuyler, with the intention of hav- 
ing an intercourse between his fort and that to which their 
own commander retreated ; but a body of 2500 Canadians 
and Indians boldly swam across the river in the night between 
the 13th and 14th, and cut off that communication. The for- 
tifications were in no condition to make a defence against 
artillery, or regular approaches; and, on the 14th, colonel 
Mercer having been killed by a cannon ball the day previous, 
the garrison proposed a capitulation. 

By the terms of capitulation, they were to surrender pris- 
oners of war, to be exempted from plunder, treated with 
humanity, and conducted to Montreal. These terms were, 
however, most shamefully violated by the French. Several 
of the British officers and soldiers were insulted, robbed and 
massacred by the Indians ; most of the sick were barbarous- 
ly scalped in the hospital ; and, to finish the scene of falsehood 
and cruelty, the French general delivered up to the Indians 
above 20 of the garrison, in lieu of the same number they 
had lost during the siege, who were probably put to death ac- 
cording to the Indian custom of torturing and burning. 

Montcalm, having accomplished his object with very incon- 
14 



158 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

siderable loss, demolished the two forts at Oswego, and 
returned with his army to fort Frontenac. By this enterprise, 
the enemy obtained the entire command of lakes Ontario and 
Erie, and of the whole country of the Five Nations. About 
1500 men were made prisoners, and 120 pieces of cannon 
were taken, with 14 mortars, 2 sloops of war, and 200 boats 
and batteaux. 

" On this disastrous event, every plan of offensive opera- 
tion was immediately relinquished. General Winslow had 
orders from lord Loudon not to proceed on his intended ex- 
pedition against Ticonderoga, but to fortify his camp, and to 
prevent the enemy from attacking him or advancing into the 
country by South bay or Wood creek. General Webb, with 
about 1400 men, was posted at the great carrying-place; and sir 
William Johnson, with about 1000 militia, was stationed at the 
German Flats. The proposed expedition up the Kennebeck, 
to destroy the settlement on the Chaudiere, terminated in a 
mere scotlting party, which explored the country. The 
attempt proposed against fort du Quesne was not prose- 
cuted."* 

Sec. III. The campaign of 1757 was equally 
unsuccessful on the part of the English. Mont- 
calm made a descent on fort Wilham Henry, 
situated on Ihe southern shore of lake George. 
The garrison of the fort consisted of 3000 men. 
It was besieged by Montcalm, with a force of 
9000, and, after a gallant defence of six days, 
was compelled to surrender, giving to the 
French the command of the lake, and the west- 
ern frontier. 

" The spirited and protracted defence of the fort, against 
such numbers, reflects the highest honor upon its brave com- 
mander, colonel Munroe. Six days was the enemy kept at 
bay, with unabated resolution, in full expectation of assistance 

^ * Holmes's Annals. 



FROM 1756 TO 17G0. 159 

from general Webb, who lay at fort Edward, only 15 miles 
distant, with, an army of 4000 men. 

" The character of general Webb continues sullied by his 
unpardonable indifference to the perilous situation of his 
brethren in arms at fort William Henry. It deserves to be 
known, that sir William Johnson, after very importunate so- 
licitations, obtained leave of general Webb to march, with as 
many as would volunteer in the service, to the relief of Mun- 
roe. 

" At the beat of the drums, the provincials, almost to a 
man, sallied forth, and were soon ready and eager for the 
march. After being under arms almost all day, what were 
their feelings when sir William, returning from head-quarters, 
informed them that general Webb had forbidden them to 
march ■ 

'' The soldiers were inexpressibly mortified and enraged ; 
and their commander did himself no common honor in the 
tears he shed, as he turned from his troops, and retired to 
his tent. 

" The defence of fort William Henry was so gallant, that 
colonel Munroe, with his troops, was admitted to an honorable 
capitulation. The capitulation, however, was most shameful- 
ly broken. While the troops were marching out at the gate 
of the fort, the Indians attached to Montcalm's party dragged 
the men from their ranks, and, with all the inhumanity of 
savage feeling, plundered them of their baggage, and butch- 
ered them in cold blood. Out of a New Hampshire corps of 
200,. 80 were.^Missing."* 

The following account of this dreadful scene is related by 
captain Carver, of the Connecticut troops, and one of the 
garrison at thai- time: — " Th^. morning after the capitulation 
was feigned, as soon as day broke, the whole garrison, now 
consisting of about 2000 men, besides women and children, 
were drawn up within the lines, and on the point of marching 
off, when great numBSprs of the Indians gathered about, and 
began to plunder. %¥e were, at first, in hopes that this was 
their only view, and\suffered them to proceed without opposi^- 

* Goodrich, 



160 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

tion. Indeed, it was not in our power to make any, had we 
been so inclined ; for though we were permitted to carry off 
our arms, yet we were not allowed a single round of ammu- 
nition. In these hopes, however, we were disappointed ; 
for presently some of them began to attack the sick and 
wounded, when such as were not able to crawl into the ranks, 
notwithstanding they endeavored to avert the fury of their 
enemies by their shrieks or groans, were soon despatched. 

" Here we were fully in expectation that the disturbance 
would have concluded ; and our little army began to move ; 
but, in a short time, we saw the front division driven back; 
and discovered that we were entirely encircled by the savages. 
We expected every moment that the guard, which the French, 
by the articles of capitulation, had agreed to allow us, would 
have arrived, and put an end to our apprehensions ; but none 
appeared. The Indians now began to strip every one, without 
exception, of their arms and clothes ; and those who made the 
least resistance felt the weight of their tomahawks. 

" I happened to be in the rear division ; but it was not long 
before I shared the fate of my companions. Three or four 
of the savages laid hold of me, and, whilst some held their 
weapons over my head, the others soon disrobed me of my 
coat, waistcoat, hat and buckles, omitting not to take from 
me what money I had in my pocket. As this was transacted 
close by the passage that led from the lines on to the plain, 
near which a French sentinel was posted, I ran to him, and 
claimed his protection ; but he only called me an English dog, 
and thrust me with violence back again into the midst of the 
Indians. 

*' I now endeavored to join a body of our troops, that were 
crowded together at some distance ; but innumerable were 
the blows that were made at me with weapons as I passed 
on ; luckily, however, the savages were so close together, 
that they could not strike at me without endangering each 
other. Notwithstanding which, one of them found means to 
make a thrust at me with a spear, which grazed my side ; and 
from another I received a wound, with the same kind of weap- 
on, in my ankle. At length I gained the spot where my 
countrymen stood, and forced myself into the midst of them 



FROM 1756 TO 1760. 161 

But before I got thus far out of the hands of the Indians, the 
collar and wrist-bands of my shirt were all that remained of 
it, and my flesh was scratched and torn in many places by 
their savage gripes. 

" By this time the war-whoop was given, and the Indians 
began to murder those that were nearest to them without dis- 
tinction. It is not in the power of words to give any tolera- 
ble idea of the horrid scene that now ensued : men, women 
and children were despatched in the most wanton and cruel 
manner, and immediately scalped. Many of these savages 
drank the blood of their victims, as it flowed warm from the 
fatal wound. 

" We now perceived, though too late to avail us, that we 
were to expect no relief from the French ; and that, contrary 
to the agreement they had so lately signed, to allow us a suf- 
ficient force to protect us from these insults, they tacitly per- 
mitted them ; for I could plainly perceive the French ofRcers 
v/alking about at some distance, discoursing with apparent 
imconcern. 

"As the circle in which I stood enclosed by this time was 
much thinned, and death seemed to be approaching with hasty 
strides, it was proposed, by some of the most resolute, to make 
one vigorous effort, and endeavor to force our v»'ay through 
the savages — the only probable method of preserving our lives 
that now remained. This, however desperate, was resolved 
on, and about 20 of us sprung at once into the midst of them. 

" In a moment we were all separated ; and what was the 
fkte of my companions I could not learn till some months 
after, when I found that only six or seven of them effected 
their design. Intent only on my own hazardous situation, I 
endeavored to make my way through my savage enemies in 
the best manner possible ; and I have often been astonished 
since, when I have recollected with what composure I took, 
as I did, every necessary step for my preservation. Some I 
overturned, being, at that time, young and athletic, and others 
I passed by, dexterously avoiding their weapons ; till, at last, 
two very stout chiefs, of the most savage tribes, as I could 
distinguish by their dress, whose strength I could not resist, 
14 * 



162 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

laid hold of me by each arm, and began to force me through 
the crowd. 

" I now resigned myself to my fate, not doubting but that 
they intended to despatch me, and then satiate their vengeance 
with my blood, as I found they were hurrying me towards a 
retired swamp, that lay at some distance. But before we had 
got many yards, an English gentleman of some distinction, as 
I could discover by his breeches, the only covering he had on, 
which were of fine scarlet velvet, rushed close by us. One 
of the Indians instantly relinquished his hold, and, springing 
on this new object, endeavored to seize him as his prey ; but 
the gentleman, being strong, threw him on the ground, and 
would probably have got away, had not he, who held my other 
arm, quitted me to assist his brother. I seized the opportuni- 
ty, and hastened away to join another party of English troops, 
that were yet unbroken, and stood in a body at some distance. 
But before I had taken many steps, I hastily cast my eye 
towards the gentleman, and saw the Indian's tomahawk gash 
into his back, and heard him utter his last groan. This added 
both to my speed and desperation. 

*' I had left this shocking scene but a few yards, when a 
fine boy, about 12 years of age, that had hitherto escaped, 
came up to me, and begged that I would let him lay hold of 
me, so that he might stand some chance of getting out of the 
hands of the savages. I told him that I would give him every 
assistance in my power, and, to this purpose, bid him lay hold ; 
but, in a few moments, he was torn from my side, and, by his 
shrieks, I judge, was soon demolished. I could not help for- 
getting my own cares for a minute, to lament the fate of so 
young a sufferer ; but it was utterly impossible for me to take 
any methods to prevent it. 

" I now got once more into the midst of friends ; but we 
were unable to afford each other any succor. As this v/as the 
division that had advanced the farthest from the fort, I thought 
there might be a possibility (though but a bare one) t)f my 
forcing my way through the outer ranks of the Indians, arid 
getting to a neighboring wood, which I perceived at some 
distance. I was still encouraged to hope by the almost mirac- 
ulous preservation I had already experienced. Nor were roy 



FROM 1756 TO 17G0. 163 

hopes in vain, or the efforts I made ineffectual. Suffice it to say, 
that I reached the wood ; but, by the time I had penetra- 
ted a little way into it, my breath was so exhausted, that I 
threw myself into a brake, and lay for some minutes appar- 
ently at the last gasp. At length I recovered the power of 
respiration ; but my apprehensions returned with all their for- 
mer force when I saw several savages pass by, probably in pur- 
suit of me, at no very great distance. In this situation, I 
knew not whether it was better to proceed, or endeavor to 
conceal myself where I lay till night came on. Fearing, how- 
ever, that they would return the same way, I thought it most 
prudent to get farther from the dreadful scene of my distress- 
es. Accordingly, striking into another part of the wood, I 
hastened on as fast as the briers and the loss of one of my 
shoes would permit me ; and, after a slow progress of some 
hours, gained a hill that overlooked the plain which I had just 
left, from whence I could discern that the bloody storm still 
raged with unabated fury. 

" But, not to tire my readers, I shall only add, that, after 
passing three days without subsistence, and enduring the se- 
verity of the cold dews for three nights, I at length reached 
fort Edward, where, with proper care, my body soon recovered 
its wonted strength, and my mind, as far as my recollection 
of the late melancholy events would permit, its usual com- 
posure. 

"It was computed that 1500 persons were killed or made 
prisoners by these savages during this fatal day. Many of 
the latter were carried off by them, and never returned. A 
few, through favorable accidents, found their way back to 
their native country, after having experienced a long and 
severe captivity. 

*' The brave colonel Munroe had hastened away, soon after 
the confusion began, to the French camp, to endeavor to pro- 
cure the guard agreed on by the stipulation ; but, his applica- 
tion proving ineffectual, he remained there till general Webb 
sent a party of troops to demand and protect him back to fort 
Edward."* 

Major Putnam was despatched, the day after this awful tra- 
* Carver's Travels. 



164 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

gedy, with his rangers, to watch the motions of the enemy, and 
gives the following account. He arrived at the shore of lake 
George while the enemy were in the act of retiring. The 
prospect was horrid beyond description. The fort was de- 
molished ; the barracks, out-houses and buildings were one 
heap of ruins; the cannon, stores, boats and vessels were 
carried away ; the fires were still burning, the smoke and 
stench offensive and suffocating; the place was covered 
with fragments of human skulls and bones ; and carcasses half 
consumed were still frying and broiling in the decaying fires. 
Dead bodies, mangled with scalping-knives and tomahawks, 
in all the wantonness of Indian fierceness and barbarity, 
were everywhere to be seen. 

More than 100 women, inhumanly stabbed and butchered, 
lay naked on the ground, with their bowels torn out, and still 
welterfng in their gore. In some, their throats were cut ; in 
others, their brains were oozing out, where the hatchet had 
cleaved their heads ; and in others the hair and scalp had been 
torn off, and nothing was to be seen but the bloody skull. 
Devastation, barbarity and horror everywhere appeared, and 
presented a spectacle too diabolical and awful to be endured or 
delineated.* 

Sec. IV. 1758. The celebrated Pitt, lord 
Chatham, was now placed at the head of the 
British ministry, and gave a new tone to their 
measures, and a fresh impulse to the spirit of 
the colonies, which had been depressed by a se- 
ries of ill-conducted and unfortunate expeditions. 
The tide of success was now turned in favor of 
the English, and continued, with few exceptions, 
until the whole of Canada was subjected to 
their arms. 

In a circular addressed to the provincial governors, Mr. 
Pitt assured them that a large force would be sent to America 
to act in concert with the colonies by sea and land against 

* Putnam's Life. 



FROM 175G TO 1760. 165 

the French, and called on them to raise as large bodies of 
men as the number of inhabitants would allow. The north- 
ern colonies were prompt and liberal in furnishing the requisite 
supplies. The province of New York contributed 2G80* men, 
and appropriated 100,000 pounds towards defraying the ex- 
penses gf the provincial troops. Such was the active spirit 
of the colonies, that the provincial troops, amounting to 
about 25,000, were ready to take the field early in May. The 
entire forces of the English now amounted to 50,000t men, 
the most powerful army ever seen in America. 

Sec. V. The plan of the campaign for the 
present year comprehended three expeditions ; 
viz. against Louisburg, Ticonderoga, and fort du 
Quesne. The first was completely successful. 
Louisburg, after an obstinate resistance, was 
surrendered to general Amherst on the 26th of 
July, and with it, 5737 prisoners of war, with 
military stores. 

The command of the expedition against Louisburg was 
assigned to major-general Amherst, assisted by brigadier-gen- 
erals Wolfe, Whittemore and Lawrence. The naval force 
under admiral Boscawen arrived at Halifax in May, the whole 
armament consisting of 157 sail. The fleet appeared in the 
vicinity of Louisburg on' the 2d of June, and, on the Sth, the 
troops under the direction of general Wolfe effected a land- 
ing, and immediately invested the city. 

The garrison of Louisburg consisted of 2500 regular troops, 
300 militia, and a considerable number of Canadians and In- 
dians, under the command of chevalier Drucour. The har- 
bor was defended by six ships of the line, and five frigates. 

* The several counties in the province furnished the following 
quotas : — 

Albany city and county, 514 ; New York do. 312 ; West Chester Co., 
394; Dutchess, 389; Queen's, 290; Suffolk, 290; Ulster, 228; Orange, 
147; King's, 63; Richmond, 55. 

t In this computation are included troops of every description. 22,000 
of them were regular troops. Univ. Hist. 



166 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

Amherst advanced upon the place with great caution, and 
Wolfe conducted with all that gallantry and discretion, which 
have since immortalized his name. Under these commanders, 
the siege was prosecuted with so much vigilance and energy, 
that the French ships were soon destroyed, and the garrison 
compelled to surrender. 

Sec. VI. Lord Loudon having returned to 
England, general Abercrombie, now command- 
er-in-chief in America, with an army of 16,000 
men, passed lake George, and appeared before 
Ticonderoga. Without waiting for the arrival 
of his artillery, he commenced an immediate at- 
tack, which was obstinately maintained for more 
than four hours ; when he was compelled to 
retire, with the loss of near 2000 killed^ and 
wounded. 

The forces under Abercrombie amounted to i^r 7000 reg- 
ulars, and 10,000 provincial troops. These, with a fine train 
of artillery and military stores, were embarked on lake 
George, in 900 batteaux and 131 boats. Their passage acrosi^ 
the lake is thus elegantly described by doctor Dvvight : — 

"The morning was remarkably bright and beautiful; and 
the fleet moved with exact regularity to the sound of fine 
martial music. The ensigns waved and glittered in the sun- 
beams, and the anticipation of future triumph shone in every 
eye. Above, beneath, around, the scenery was that of en- 
chantment. Rarely has the sun, since that luminary was first 
lighted up in the heavens, dawned on such a complication of 
beauty and magnificence." 

The splendor of this parade forms, however, a melancholy 
contrast with the defeat which was about to ensue. After 
debarkation at the landing-place in a cove on the west side 
of the lake, the troops were formed into four columns, the 
British in the centre, and the provincials on the flanks. In 
this order, they marched toward the advanced guard of the 
French, which, consisting of one battalion only, posted in a 



FROM 1756 TO 17G0, 1G7 

log camp, destroyed what was in their power, and made a 
precipitate retreat. While Abercrombie was continuing his 
march in the woods toward Ticonderoga, the columns were 
thrown into confusion, and in some degree entangled with 
each other. At this juncture, lord Howe, at the head of the 
right centre column, fell in with a part of the advanced 
guard of the enemy, which was lost in the wood in retreating 
from lake George, and immediately attacked and dispersed it, 
killing a considerable number, and taking 148 prisoners. In 
this skirmish, lord Howe, a nobleman of the most promising 
military talents, fell on the first fire. 

The English army, without further opposition, took posses- 
sion of a fort within two miles of Ticonderoga. Abercrom- 
bie, having learned from the prisoners the strength of the 
enemy at that fortress, and, from an engineer, the condition of 
their works, resolved on an immediate storm, and made instant 
disposition for an assault. The troops, having received orders 
to marph up briskly, rush upon tho enemy's fire, and to reserve 
their own till they had passed a l^reastwork, marched to the 
assault with great intrepidity. Unlooked-for impediments, 
however, occurred ; and, just as they were approaching the 
enemy's works, they became entangled in an abatis. Despe- 
rate attempts were made fo force a passage, during which, 
they were constantly exposed to a most fatal and destructive 
fire from the enemy, who, being covered by their entrench- 
ments, suffered comparatively little. Every effort proving 
unsuccessful, Abercrombie withdrew his forces, and precipi- 
tately retired to his former encampment on lake George.* 

Sec. VII. Abercrombie, soon after his un- 
fortunate expedition against Ticonderoga, sent 
colonel Bradstreet, with a detachment of 3000 
men, against fort Frontenac, on the north-west 
side of the outlet of lake Ontario. Bradstreet 
sailed down the Ontario, landed within a mile 
of the fort, opened his batteries, and in two days 

* Holmes's Annals. 



168 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

compelled this important fortress to surrender. 
Nine armed vessels, large quantities of cannon 
and military stores, fell into the hands of the 
English. Fort du Quesne was peaceably sur- 
rendered to general Forbes in November. 

Sec. VIII. The object of the campaign of 
1759 was no less than the entire conquest of 
Canada. The contemplated points of attack 
were Ticonderoga, Crown Point, Niagara and 
Quebec. 

The plan of the campaign of the present year was projected 
by Mr. Pitt, and was marked by the energy and boldness of 
that minister's genius. General Wolfe was to ascend the St. 
Lawrence with a body of 8000 men, as soon as the river 
should be clear of ice, and lay siege to Quebec, the capital of 
Canada. General Amherst, commander-in-chief, with an army 
of regular troops and provincials amounting to 12,000, was to 
attempt the reduction of Ticonderoga and Crown Point, and 
thence proceed through lake Champlain and the river Sorelle, 
to the assistance of Wolfe. Brigadier-general Prideaux, with 
a body of troops reinforced by the Indians under the influence 
and command of sir William Johnson, was to invest the 
French fort at Niagara, and attempt the reduction of that im- 
portant fortress. It was expected that these forces, making 
simultaneous movements in different directions, would mutu- 
ally assist each other, by dividing the forces, and distracting 
the councils of the enemy. 

In March, the legislature ordered a levy of 2680 men, being 
the quota assigned to the colony of New York, and imposed 
a tax of ,£100,000 for their payment and support. By subse- 
quent acts, the same number of men were raised and supported 
by the colony for several successive years. In July, in addition 
to other emissions, bills of credit to the amount of .£150,000 
were issued for the payment of debts contracted in the prose- 
cution of the war. In the course of a few months, the contri- 
butions imposed on the province for defraying the expenses 
of the military operations amounted to above $600,000. 



FROM 1756 TO 1760. 169 

Sec. IX. General Amherst, who had suc- 
ceeded Abercrombie as commander-in-chief, 
appeared before Ticonderoga on the 22d of 
July, and soon after took possession of the for- 
tress. After repairing the works, he proceeded 
to Crown Point, which was surrendered without 
opposition. 

Early in the spring, general Amherst transferred his head- 
quarters from New York to Albany, where his troops were 
assembled by the last of May. The summer was, however, 
far advanced before he could cross lake George, and it was 
not until the 22d of July that he reached Ticonderoga. The 
lines around that place were immediately abandoned by the 
enemy, and the English took possession of them the next day 
without firing a gun. They were composed of large trees, 
and banked with the earth of the clay kind to such thickness, 
that the enemy's cannon afterward made no impression on 
them. After making proper dispositions for the reduction of 
the French fortress, on the 26th, all the artillery men were 
ordered into the trenches, and two batteries were about to be 
opened ; but the enemy, after blowing up their magazines, 
and doing what damage the time would allow, evacuated the 
fort, and retreated to Crown Point. Amherst, after repairing 
the fortifications of Ticonderoga, advanced to Crown Point ; 
but, before his arrival, the garrison repaired to Isle aux Noix, 
at the northern extremity of lake Champlain. At this place, 
the French, he was informed, had 3500 men, with a numerous 
train of artillery, and the additional defence of four large armed 
vessels on the lake. The English general made great exertions 
to obtain a naval superiority. With a sloop and a radeau, 
which he had built with the greatest despatch, he destroyed 
two vessels of the enemy ; but a succession of storms, and the 
advanced season of the year, obliged him to postpone further 
operations. Returning to Crown Point, he there put his 
troops into winter-quarters, about the last of October.* 



* Holmes's Annals. 

15 



170 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

Sec. X. The second division of the army, 
under general Prideaux, appeared before Niag- 
ara on the 6th of July. The place was imme- 
diately invested ; and, on the 24th, a general 
battle took place, which decided the fate of that 
post, and transferred it into the hands of the 
English. 

" In prosecution of the enterprise against Niagara, general 
Prideaux had embarked with an army on lake Ontario; and, 
on the 6th of July, landed without opposition w'ithin about 
three miles of the fort, which he invested in form. While 
directing the operations of the siege, he was killed by the 
bursting of a cohorn, and the command devolved on sir Wil- 
liam Johnson. That general, prosecuting with judgment and 
vigor the plan of his predecessor, pushed the attack of Niag- 
ara with such intrepidity, as soon brought the besiegers within 
a hundred yards of the covered way. Meanwhile, the French, 
alarmed at the danger of losing such a post, which was a 
key to their interior empire in America, had collected a ^arge 
body of regular troops from the neighboring garrisons of 
Detroit, Venango and Presque Isle, with which, and a party 
of Indians, they resolved, if possible, to raise the siege. Ap- 
prized of their intention to hazard a battle, general Johnson 
ordered his light-infantry, supported by some grenadiers and 
regular foot, to take post between the cataract of Niagara and 
the fortress; placed the auxiliary Indians on his flanks; and, 
together w ith this preparation for an engagement, took effec- 
tual measures for securing his lines, and bridling the garrison. 
About 9, in the morning of the 24th of July, the enemy ap- 
peared, and the horrible sound of the war-whoop from the 
hostile Indians was the signal of battle. The French charged 
with great impetuosity, but were received with firmness, and, 
in less than an hour, were completely routed. This battle 
decided the fate of Niagara. Sir William Johnson, the next 
morning, sent a trumpet to the French commandant ; and, in 
a few hours, a capitulation was signed. The garrison, consist- 
ing of 607 men, were to march out with the honors of war, 
to be embarked on the lake, and carried to New York ; and 



FROM 1756 TO 1760. 171 

the women and children were to be carried to Montreah The 
reduction of Niagara effectually cut off" the communication 
between Canada and Louisiana."* 

Sec. XL While the British were pursuing 
their victorious career in Upper Canada, general 
"^Volfe, with an army of 8000 men, appeared be- 
fore Quebec. On the 13th of September, a 
severe battle was fought between the English, 
under Wolfe, and the French, under Montcalm, 
in which both these brave commanders fell. 
Victory decided in favor of the English, and the 
city, five days after, capitulated. 

General Wolfe embarked at Louisburg, under convoy of 
admirals Saunders and Holmes, and landed with his troops in 
June, without opposition, on the island of Orleans, a little 
below duebec. The city was strongly fortified by nature and 
art, formidable on account of the number ind bravery of its 
inhabitants, and in a situation in which it could not be much 
injured by a fleet, or approached but by a powerful force by 
land. It was defended by an army of 10,000 men, consisting 
of regular troops and well-disciplined militia, besides a large 
number of armed Indians. At the head of these forces was the 
marquis de Montcalm, a general of much courage, activity and 
experience, and already distinguished for his enterprises and 
success against the English. 

" Determined from the first to take the place, impregnable 
as it was accounted, the measures of general Wolfe were 
singularly bold, and apparently repugnant to all the maxims 
of war. His attention was first drawn to point Levi, on the 
southern bank of the St. Lawrence, upon which, after taking 
possession of it, he erected batteries. By means of these, 
he destroyed many houses, but from this point it was soon 
apparent that little impression could be m^^de upon the forti- 
fications of the town. 

" Finding it impracticable thus to accomplish his purpose, 
* Holmes's Annals. 



172 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

Wolfe next decided on more daring measures. For the pur- 
pose of drawing Montcalm to a general battle, Wolfe, with 
his troops, crossed the river Montmorenci, and attacked the 
enemy in their intrenchments. Owing, however, to the 
grounding of some of the boats which conveyed the troops, 
a part of the detachment did not land so soon as the others 
The corps that first landed, without waiting to form, rushed 
forward impetuously towards the enemy's intrenchments. 
But their courage proved their ruin. A close and well-direct- 
ed fire from the enemy cut them down in great numbers. 

"Montcalm's party had now landed, and were drawn up on 
the beach in order. But it was near night ; a thunder-storm 
was approaching, and the tide was rapidly setting in. Fearing 
the consequences of delay, Wolfe ordered a retreat across the 
Montmorenci, and returned to his quarters on the isle of Or- 
leans. In this rencounter, his loss amounted to near 600 of 
the flower of his army. 

" Disappointed thus far, and worn down with fatigue and 
watching, general Wolfe fell violently sick. Scarcely had he 
recovered, before he proceeded to put in execution a plan 
which had been matured on his sick bed. This was to pro- 
ceed up the river, gain the Heights of Abraham, and draw 
Montcalm to a general engagement. 

" Accordingly, the troops were transported up the river 
about nine miles. On the 12th of September, one hour after 
midnight, Wolfe and his troops left the ships, and in boats si- 
lently dropped down the current, intending to land a league 
above cape Diamond, and there ascend the bank leading to 
the station he wished to gain. Owing, however, to ihe rapid- 
ity of the river, they fell below the intended place, and landed 
a mile, or a mile and a half, above the city. The operation 
was a critical one, as they had to navigate in silence down 
a rapid stream, and to find a right place for landing, which, 
amidst surrounding darkness, might be easily mistaken. Be- 
sides this, the shore was shelving, and the bank so steep and 
lofty as scarcely to be ascended, even without opposition from 
an enemy. Indeed, the attempt was in the greatest danger of 
being defeated by an occurrence peculiarly interesting, as 
marking the very great delicacy of the transaction. 



FROM 1756 TO 1760. 173 

** One of the French sentinels, posted along the shore, as 
the English boats were descending, challenged them in the 
<iustoniary military language of the French, ^Qui vit ?' ' Who 
goes there V to which a captain in Frazer's regiment, who 
had served in Holland, and was familiar w^th the French 
language and customs, promptly replied, ' La France.'* The 
next question was still more embarrassing, for the sentfnel 
demanded, 'A quel regiment ?' ' To what regiment V The cap- 
tain, who happened to know the name of a regiment which 
was up the river with Bougainville, promptly rejoined, ' De la 
reine^ ' The queen's.' The soldier immediately replied, ''Passe^ 
for he concluded at once that this was a French convoy of 
provisions, which, as the English had learned from some de- 
serters, was expected to pass down the river to Quebec. The 
other sentinels were deceived in a similar manner; but one, 
less credulous than the rest, running down to the water's edge, 
called out, * Pour quois est ce que vous ne jparlez plus haut ?' 

* Why don't you speak louder V The same captain, with per- 
fect self-command, replied, ' Tais toi, nous serons entendus!'' 

* Hush, we shall be overheard and discovered !' The sentry, 
satisfied with this caution, retired, and the boats passed in 
safety.* About an hour before day, the army began to ascend 
the precipice, the distance of 150 or 200 feet, almost perpen- 
dicular ascent, above which spread the plains of Abraham. 
By day-light, September 13th, this almost incredible enterprise 
had been effected ; the desired station was attained ; the army 
was formed, and ready to meet the enemy. 

" To Montcalm, the intelligence that the English were oc- 
cupying the Heights of Abraham was most surprising. The 
impossibility of ascending the precipice he considered certain, 
and, therefore, had taken no measures to fortify its line. But 
no sooner was be informed of the position of the Eno-Iish 
army, than, perceiving a battle no longer to be avoided, he 
prepared to fight. Between nine and ten o'clock, the two 
armies, about equal in numbers, met face to face. 

" The battle now commenced. Inattentive to the fire of a 
body of Canadians and Indians, 1500 of whom Montcalm 
had stationed in the cornfields and bushes, Wolfe directed his 

* Silliman's Tour, from Smollet 
15 * 



174 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

troops to reserve their fire for the main body of the French, 
now rapidly advancing. On their approach w^ithin 40 yards, 
the English opened their fire, and the deMruction became im- 
mense. 

" The French fought bravely, but their ranks became dis- 
ordered, and, notwithstanding the repeated efforts of their 
officers to form them, and to renew the attack, they were so 
successfully pushed by the British bayonet, and hewn down 
by the Highland broadsword, that their discomfiture was com- 
plete. 

*' During the action, Montcalm was on the French left, and 
Wolfe on the English right, and here they both fell in the 
critical moment that decided the victory. Early in the battle, 
Wolfe received a ball in his wrist ; but, binding his handker- 
chief around it, he continued to encourage his men. Shortly 
after, another ball penetrated his groin; but this wound, 
althouo-h much more severe, he concealed, and continued to 
urge on the contest, till a third bullet pierced his breast. He 
was now obliged, though reluctantly, to be carried to the rear 
of the line. 

*' General Monckton succeeded to the command, but was 
immediately wounded, and conveyed away. In this critical 
state of the action, the command devolved on general Towns- 
hend. General Montcalm, fighting in front of his battalion, 
received a mortal wound about the same time, and general 
Jennezergus, his second in command, fell near his side. 

" Wolfe died in the field before the battle was ended ; but 
he lived long enough to know that the victory was his. While 
leaning on the shoulder of a lieutenant, who kneeled to sup- 
port him, he was seized with the agonies of death. At this 
moment was heard the distant sound, ' They fly — they fly !' 
The hero raised his drooping head, and eagerly asked, ' Who 
fly?' Being told that it was the French, ' Then,' he replied, ' I 
die happy,' and expired."* 

In the ensuing spring, 1760, the French made 
exertions to recover Quebec from the EngUsh. 

* Goodrich. 



FROM 1756 TO 1760. 175 

Their designs were, however, frustrated by the 
arrival of an English squadron with reinforce- 
ments, by which the French fleet was taken and 
destroyed. 

Sec. XII. On the 6th of September, gener- 
als Amherst and Murray, with a large body of 
troops, appeared before Montreal, the last fortress 
of importance now in possession of the French. 
On the 8th, Montreal, Detroit, Michilimackinac, 
and all other places within the government of 
Canada, were surrendered to his Britannic maj- 
esty. 

Three years after, a definitive treaty was 
ratified by the kings of England and France, by 
which all Nova Scotia, Canada, the isle of Cape 
Breton, and all other islands in the gulf and 
river St. Lawrence, were ceded to the British 
crown. 



176 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

CHAP. X. 

FROM 1760 TO 1775. 

Prospects of the Colony, Controversy relative to 
the New Hampshire Grants. Opposition from 
the Settlers. Stamp Act. Congress at New 
York. Disturbances occasioned by the Stamp 
Act. Associations to oppose it. Stamp Act 
repealed. Assembly restrained. Further At- 
tempts to tax the Colonies. Controversy with 
the Grants becomes serious. Parties prevented 
from proceeding to Hostilities by the Controver- 
sy with Great Britain. 

Sec. I. The conquest of Canada had, for 
more than 70 years, been an object of solicitude 
with the colonies generally, but more especially 
with New York, which, from its local situation, 
was more imminently exposed to the depreda- 
tions and ravages of the Indian tribes. The 
accomplishment of this object put a period to 
those hostile incUtsions, and gave to the future 
prospects of the colony the aspect of tranquillity ; 
prosperity, rapid increase, and improvement, 
while the return of peace afforded an opportunity 
for repairing the embarrassed state of her finan- 
ces, and augmenting her resources, which had 
been impoverished by a series of protracted and 
expensive wars. 

I The population of the province, at the termination of the war, 
probably did not exceed 100,000. In 1756, it amounted to 



FROM 1760 TO 1775, 177 

96,765. The counties at that time were Suffolk, dueen's. 
King's, Richmond, New York, West-Chester, Dutchess, Orange, 
Ulster and Albany. The settlements were chiefly limited to 
New York, Staten and Long islands, the banks of the Hudson 
and Mohawk rivers, and their vicinity. The most northern set- 
tlements were Hoosac, Schaghticoke and Saratoga. On the 
Mohawk, there were no establishments of any importance 
west of Schoharie creek. 

Sec. II. Lieutenant-governor Delancey died 
suddenly, on the 30th of July, and Cadwallader 
Golden assumed the government, as president of 
►the council. He received the appointment of 
lieutenant-governor in August, 1761. Robert 
Monckton was commissioned governor, and 
commenced his administration in October. 

Soon after his appointment, governor Monckton embarked 
.0 take the command of an expedition against Martinique. 
The enterprise was successful, and, on the 14th of February, 
the French governor, M. de la Touche,' delivered up the whole 
island to the English on capitulation. With Martinique fell 
Granada, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, and every other place pos- 
sessed by the French in the extensive chain of the Caribbee 
islands. Governor Monckton returned to New York in June, 
1762, but remained only a short time in the province. During 
his absence, the government was administered by Mr. Golden, 
the lieutenant-governor. Towards the close of the following 
year, apprehensions were entertained for the safety of Schoha- 
rie and Cherry Valley, in consequence of the hostile attitude of 
some of the more remote Indian tribes. An act was passed 
by the legislature, in December, for the raising of 800 men, to 
be stationed at those places for the protection of the set- 
tlements. 

Sec III. In 1763 commenced the celebrated 
controversy vv^ith New Hampshire, relative to 
boundaries. The controverted territory com- 
prised the country situated between Connecticut 



178 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

river and lake Champlain, and since known as 
Vermont. 

No settlements of any importance had been made in this 
territory previous to 1760 ; and the subject of territorial limits 
had, consequently, never been examined or called in question. 
The original charters of the colonies, owing to the imperfect 
surveys of the country, were extremely vague, indefinite, and 
often contradictory. A grant was made, in 1664 and 1674, by 
Charles the Second, to his brother, the duke of York, contain- 
ing, among other parts of America, " all the lands from the 
west side of Connecticut river to the east side of Delaware 
b^y," No other grant of the contested territory had ever been 
made by any preceding or subsequent charter, and it was, con- 
sequently, inferred, by the government of New York, that it 
fell within their jurisdiction. 

This territory was, however, by many, supposed to fall within 
the limits of New Hampshire, and that government, in 1760, 
and several succeeding years, made lurge grants of land, to set- 
tlers, west of Connecticut river. The settlements progressed 
with astonishing rapidity; and, in 1763, 138 townships had been 
granted by New Hampshire, extending as far west as the shore 
of lake Champlain, and to what was esteemed 20 miles east of 
Hudson's river. 

Sec. IV. To check the proceedings of New 
Hampshire, heutenant-governor Golden issued a 
proclamation, reciting the grants of the duke of 
York, asserting their vahdity, claiming the juris- 
diction as far east as Connecticut river, and 
commanding the sheriff of Albany county to 
make return of all persons, who, under the New 
Hampshire grants, had taken possession of lands 
west of the river. 

A proclamation was soon after issued by the governor of New 
Hampshire, declaring the grant of the duke of York to be ob- 
solete ; that New Hampshire extended as far west as Massachu- 
setts and Connecticut ; and that the grants made by New Hamp- 



FROM 1760 TO 1775. 179 

shire would be confirmed if the jurisdiction should be altered, 
He exhorted the settlers not to be intimidated, but to proceed 
in the cultivation of their lands ; and required the civil officers 
to exercise jurisdiction as far west as grants had been made, 
and to punish all disturbers of the peace.* 

Sec. V. Application was made to the crown, 
and a decision obtained in 1764, by which the 
western bank of Connecticut river was declared 
to be the bound-ary hne between the provinces 
of New Hampshire and New York. The gov- 
ernment of New York proceeded to organize the 
new territory, and to exercise jurisdiction. 

The new district was divided into four counties. The south- 
western part was annexed to the county of Albany, and the 
north-western part formed into a county by the name of Cliar- 
lotte. East of the Green mountains, two counties were formed — 
Gloucester on the north, and Cumberland on the south. In 
each of these counties courts were regularly held. The grants 
of land under New Hampshire were declared illegal, and the 
settlers required to take out new charters from New York, at- 
tended with extravagant fees. 

Some of the towns complied with the requisition, and pur- 
chased their lands the second time ; but the greater part refu»- 
edi. Where it was not complied with on the part of the gran- 
tees, new grants were made of their lands to such petitioners as 
would advance the fees which were demanded. Actions of 
ejectment were commenced in the courts at Albany against 
several of the ancient settlers. The decisions of the courts 
were in favor of the New York titles ; but, when the executive 
officers came to eject the inhabitants, they generally met with 
an avowed opposition from the possessors, and were not allowed 
to proceed in the execution of their offices. 

When it was found that there was a combination for the 
avowed purpose of resisting the execution of the judgments of 
the courts, the militia were called out to support the sheriff; 
but they were rather in sentiment with the settlers, and dis- 

* Williams. 



ISO HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

banded themselves on the appearance of an armed opposition. 
The actions of ejectment still went on in the courts of Albany 
No attention was, however, paid to them, nor any defence maae 
by the settlers. But, when attempts were made to carry these 
decisions into effect, a mob was assembled to oppose their exe- 
cution. As the efforts of the government were continued, the 
opposition of the settlers became more bold and daring, and 
was frequently characterized by acts of outrage and violence. 

After the decision by the crown, assigning this territory to 
the province of New York, had the government, as prudence 
would have dictated, allowed those already in possession to have 
quietly held their lands, no controversy would ever have arisen. 
The inhabitants were by no means disposed to question the 
jurisdiction of New York ; but, considering their lands hon- 
estly purchased, they felt that they could not be called upon, on 
any principle of justice, to relinquish them. They had acquir- 
ed their possessions by a hard and laborious course of life, and 
had suffered many privations in the settlement of the country. 
That, under these circumstances, they should quietly give up 
their estates to greedy speculators, or pay four times the origi- 
nal sum which they had advanced for them, was more than 
could have been reasonably expected. 

Sec. VI. 1765. Much excitement was pro- 
duced by the stamp act, which was passed by the 
British parUament, early in the present year, for 
the purpose of raising a revenue from their 
American colonies. 

This act ordained that all instruments of 
writing, such as deeds, bonds, notes, &c., among 
the colonies, should be null and void, unless 
executed on stamped paper, for which a duty 
should be paid to the crown. 

The stamp act, though highly popular with the ministry, was 
not suffered to pass without a spirited opposition. When the 
bill was brought in, the ministers, and particularly George 
Grenville, exclaimed, " These Americans, our own children, 



FROM 1760 TO 1775. 181 

planted by our care, nourished by our indulgence, protected by 
our arms, until they are grown to a good degree of strength and 
opulence — will they now turn their backs upon us, and grudge 
to contribute their mite to relieve us from the heavy load which 
overwhelms us ?" 

Colonel Barre caught the words, and, with a vehemence be- 
coming in a soldier, said ; " Planted by your care ? No ! your 
oppression planted them in America : they fled from your tyran- 
ny into a then uncultivated land, where they were exposed to 
almost all the hardships to which human nature is liable, and, 
among others, to the savage cruelty of the enemy of the coun- 
try, a people the most subtle, and, I take upon me to say, the 
most truly terrible, of any people that ever inhabited any part 
of God's earth ; and yet, actuated by principles of true English 
liberty, they met all these hardships with pleasure, compared 
with those they suiferefl in their own country, from the hands 
of those that should have been their friends. They nourished 
by your indulgence 1 They grew by your neglect. As soon as 
you began to care about them, that care was exercised in send- 
ing persons to rule over them, in one department and another, 
who were, perhaps, the deputies of the deputies of some mem- 
bers of this house, sent to spy out their liberty, to misrepresent 
their actions, and to prey upon them ; men, whose behavior, on 
many occasions, has caused the blood of these sons of liberty to 
recoil within them ; men, promoted to the highest seats of jus- 
tice, some of whom, to my knowledge, were glad, by going to. 
foreign countries, to escape the vengeance of the laws in their 
own. They 'protected hy your arms ? They have nobly taken 
up arms in your defence ; have exerted their valor amidst their 
constant and laborious industry, for the defence of a country, 
whose frontiers, while drenched in blood, its interior parts have 
yielded for your enlargement the little savings of their frugali- 
ty, and the fruits of their toils. And believe me, retnember I 
this day told you so, that the same spirit which actuated that 
people at first will continue with them still : but prudence for- 
bids me to explain myself further. God knows, I do not, at 
this time, speak from motives of party heat ; what I assert pro- 
ceeds from the sentiments of my heart. However superior to 
me, in general knowledge and experience, any one here may be, 
16 



182 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

yet I claim to know more of America, having seen, and been 
more conversant in that country. The people there are as truly 
loyal as any subjects the king has ; but a people jealous of their 
liberties, and who will vindicate them, if they should be violat- 
ed : but the subject is delicate ; I will say no more."* 

The very night the act was passed, doctor Franklin, in Lon- 
don, wrote to Charles Thompson, afterwards secretary of con- 
gress, " The sun of liberty is set ; the Americans must light the 
lamps of industry and economy.'" To which Mr. Thompson 
answered ; " Be assured, we shall light torches of quite another 
sort" — thus predicting the convulsions that were about to follow. 

Sec. VII. In October, a congress, consisting 
of twenty-eight delegates, from the assemblies 
of Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Providence 
plantations, Connecticut, New* York, New Jer- 
sey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland and 
South Carolina, was held at New York, to con- 
sult on the common interest. They made a 
declaration of the rights and grievances of the 
colonies, petitioned the king for redress, and 
presented memorials to both houses of parlia- 
ment. 

Sec. VIII. When the stamp act arrived in 
New York, it was contemptuously cried about 
the streets, under the title of " The Folly of 
England, and Ruin of America." Serious dis- 
turbances took place, soon after, on the arrival 
of the stamped papers. Mr. Colden, the lieu 
tenant-governor, was hanged and burnt in effigy. 
The merchants formed an association, and re 
solved to direct their correspondents in Europe 



Botta. 



FROM 1760 TO 1775. 183 

to ship no more goods until the stamp act should 
be repealed. 

The stamp papers arrived in New York about the last of Oc- 
tober. Mr. M'Euers, the stamp distributor, having resigned, to 
avoid the popular odium, the lieutenant-governor took them into 
fort George, and made great exertions to secure them. On the 
first of November, the day on which the stamp act was to go 
into effect, many of the inhabitants, offended at the conduct, 
and disliking the political sentiments, of Mr. Golden, having as- 
sembled in the evening, proceeded to the fort walls, broke 
open his stable, and took out his coach ; and, after carrying it 
through the principal streets of the city, marched to the com- 
mon, where a gallows was erected, on one end of which they 
suspended his effigy, with a stamped bill of lading in one hand, 
and a figure of the devil in the other. 

When the effigy had hung a considerable time, they carried 
it in procession, with the gallows entire, the coach preceding, 
to the gate of the fort, whence it was removed to the bowling- 
green, under the muzzles of the guns, where a bonfire was 
made, and the whole pageantry, including the coach, was con- 
sumed, amidst the acclamations of several thousand spectators. 
They next proceeded to the house of major James, who was a 
friend to the stamp act, and, after plundering it, consumed 
every article of the furniture in a bonfire. 

The next morning, a paper was drawn up, and read from the 
balcony of a coffee-house, which was much frequented by the 
citizens, setting forth the necessity of being peaceable, and 
calling upon the inhabitants to turn out with their arms upon 
any aJarm, and quell all riotous proceedings. To prevent the 
effect of this proclamation, captain Sears, a violent opposer of 
the stamp act, addressed the populace. He assured them, that 
the intention of the proposal that had been read was to pre- 
vent their obtaining possession of the stamped papers, and 
added, " But we will have them within four-and-twenty hours." 
The address was answered by loud shouts of applause. 

In the evening, the mob again assembled, and insisted on 
the governor's delivering the stamps into their hands. Mr. 
Colden attempted to pacify them, by declaring, that he had 



184 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

nothing to do in relation to the stamps, but should leave it to 
sir Henry Moore to do as he pleased on his arrival. Not sat- 
isfied with this, the people made an attempt to obtain the 
stamps by force. After much negotiation, it was, however, 
agreed, that they should be delivered to the corporation ; which 
was accordingly done, and they were deposited in the city hall. 
Ten boxes of stamps, arriving some time after, were committed 
to the flames. 

On the 6th of November, the people again assembled in 
the fields, and it was proposed, that a committee be appointed 
to open a correspondence with the other colonies. This was 
a measure of so serious and important a nature, as to endan- 
ger the property and lives of the committee, especially should 
the stamp act be enforced, and, for some time, no one would 
venture to accept the appointment. At length captain Sears 
and four others offered themselves, and were approved. They 
agreed among themselves to sign all the letters with their 
several names, and open a correspondence with all the colo- 
nies. The Philadelphians were requested to forward their 
enclosed letters to the Southern States, and the Bostonians to 
forward those for New Hampshire.* 

On the 25th of December, mutual agreements, concessions 
and associations were concluded between the sons of liberty 
of the colony of New York on the one part, and the sons of 
liberty of the colony of Connecticut on the other part ; in 
which, after professions of allegiance to the king, and attach- 
ment to the royal person and family, and agreeing to protect 
and defend each other in the peaceable, full and just enjoy- 
ment of their inherent and accustomed rights as subjects of 
their respective colonies, they proceed to take notice of the 
obnoxious act, which they treat as not promulgated, and not 
to be regarded but for resistance. " Whereas a certain 
pamphlet has appeared in America, in the form of an act of 
parliament, called and known by the name of the Stamp Act, 
but has never been legally published or introduced, neither 
can it, as it would immediately deprive them of the most in- 
valuable part of the British constitution, namely, the trial by 
juries, and the most just mode of taxation in the world, that 

* Gordon. 



FROM 1760 TO 1775. 185 

is, of taxing themselves ; rights that every British subject be- 
comes heir to as soon as born ; for the preservation of which, 
and every part of the British constitution, they do reciprocally 
resolve and determine to march w^ith the utmost despatch, at 
their own proper costs and expense, on the first proper notice, 
to the relief of those that shall, are or may be in danger from 
the stamp act, or its promoters and abettors, or any thing rel- 
ative to it, on account of any thing that may have been in 
opposition to its obtaining." After recommending mutual 
vigilance towards those who may be the most likely to intro- 
duce the use of stamped papers, to the total subversion of the 
British constitution and American liberty, and agreeing that 
they will, to the utmost of their power, by all just ways and 
means, endeavor to bring all such betrayers of their country 
to the most condign punishment, — they resolve, *' to defend the 
liberty of the press, in their respective colonies, from all un- 
lawful violations and impediments whatever, on account of 
tlie said act, as the only means, under divine Providence, of 
preservmg their lives, liberties and fortunes ; and finally, that 
they will, to the utmost of their power, endeavor to bring 
about, accomplish and perfect, the like association with all 
the colonies on the continent, for the like salutary purpose? 
and no other." 

The proposal of uniting with New York and Connecticut 
was accepted by the sons of liberty at Boston, who proposed 
to commence a continental union. This proposal was imme- 
diately encouraged by circular letters, sent by them into the 
New England colonies, and sent by those of New York as 
far as South Carolina. 

Although, by the resignation of the stamp-officers, the col- 
onists were laid under legal inability for doing business accord- 
ing to parliamentary laws, yet they adventured to do it, and 
risked the consequences. Vessels sailed from ports as before; 
and the courts of justice, though suspended awhile in most of 
the colonies, at length proceeded to business without stamps. 

Sec. IX. Sir Henry Moore, who had been 
appointed to supersede general Monckton in the 
16* 



186 HISTORY OF NEW tORK, 

government of the province, arrived in Novem- 
ber, and commenced his administration. 

Owing to the spirited opposition of the colo- 
nies, the stamp act was repealed in 1766. The 
repealing act was, however, accompanied by a 
declaratory act, asserting the power and right of 
parliament to bind the colonies in all cases 
whatsoever. 

Among the most prominent supporters of the rights of the 
colonies were lord Camden in the house of peers, and Mr. 
Pitt in the house of commons. " My position is this," said 
lord Camden ; " I repeat it; I will maintain it to my last hour ; 
taxation and representation are inseparable. This position is 
founded on the laws of nature. It is more ; it is, in itself, an 
eternal law of nature. For whatever is a man's own, it is 
absolutely his own. No man has a right to take it from him 
without his consent. Whoever attempts to do it attempts an 
injury ; whoever does it commits a robbery." 

In the debate on a motion to address the kinof, Mr. Pitt rose 
to offer his sentiments on the present crisis of affairs. His 
speech was in his own bold, nervous and eloquent style. He 
pronounced every capital measure, taken by the late ministers, 
to have been entirely wrong. *' It is a long time, Mr. Speaker, 
since I have attended in parliament. When the resolution was 
taken in this house to tax America, I was ill in bed. If I 
could have endured to have been carried in my bed, so great 
was the agitation of my mind for the consequences, I would 
have solicited some kind hand to have laid me down on this 
floor, to have borne my testimony against it. It is my opinion 
that this kingdom has no right to lay a tax upon the colonies. 

" At the same time, I assert the authority of this kingdom 
over the colonies to be sovereign and supreme, in every cir- 
cumstance of government and legislation whatsoever% The 
colonists are the subjects of this kingdom, equally entitled 
with yourselves to all the natural rights of mankind, and the 
peculiar privileges of Englishmen ; equally bound by its laws, 
and equally participating of the constitution of this free coun- 



FROM 1760 TO 1775. * 187 

try. Taxation is no part of the governing or legislative 
power. The taxes are a voluntary gift and grant of the com- 
mons alone. In legislation, the three estates of the realm are 
alike concerned ; but the concurrence of the peers and the 
crown to a tax is only necessary to close with the form of a 
law. The gift and grant is of the commons alone. Now this 
house represents the commons, as they virtually represent the 
rest of the inhabitants. When, therefore, in this house, we 
give and grant, we give and grant what is our own. But in 
an American tax, what do we do ? We, your majesty's com- 
mons of Great Britain, give and grant to your majesty, what? 
Our own property ? No. We give and 'grant to your majesty 
the property of the commons of America. It is an absurdity 
in terms. It was just now affirmed, that no difference exists 
between internal and external taxes ; and that taxation is an 
essential part of legislation. Are not the crown and the peers 
equally legislative powers with the commons ? If taxation be 
a part of simple legislation, the crown, the peers, have rights 
in taxation as well as yourselves ; rights which they will claim, 
which they will exercise, whenever the principle can be sup- 
ported by power. 

" There is an idea in some, that the Americans are virtually 
represented in this house ; but I would fain know by what 
province, county, city or borcugh they are represented here? 
No doubt by some province, county, city or borough ne^r 
seen or known by them or their ancestors, and which they 
never will see or know. 

" The commons of America, represented in their several 
assemblies, have ever been in possession of the exercise of 
this their constitutional right of giving and granting their 
own money. They would have been slaves if they had not 
enjoyed it." 

Upon the conclusion of the speech, a profound silence of 
some minutes ensued. At length, Mr. Grenville rose, and 
entered into a labored vindication of the measures of his 
administration. After declaring the tumult in America to 
border upon rebellion, and insisting upon the constitutioaal 
right of parliament to tax the colonies, he concluded as fol- 
lows • " Ungrateful people of America ! The nation has run 



188 ^ HISTORY OF NEW YORK, 

itself into an immense debt to give them protection ; bounties 
have been extended to them ; in their favor the act of naviga- 
tion, that palladium of the British commerce, has been relaxed ; 
and now that they are called upon to contribute a small share 
towards the public expense, they renounce your authority, in- 
sult your officers, and break out, I might almost say, into 
open rebellion." 

Immediately after Mr. Grenville had taken his seat, Mr. Pitt 
rose to reply ; but, the rules of the house forbidding him to 
speak twice on the same motion, he was called to order, and, 
in obedience to the call, was resuming his seat, when the 
loud and repeated cry of " Go on," induced him once more 
to take the floor. In the course of his speech he said, " We 
are told America is obstinate — America is in open rebellion. 
Sir, I rejoice that America has resisted ; 3,000,000 of people, 
so dead to all the feelings of liberty as voluntarily to submit to 
be slaves, would have been fit instruments to make slaves of 
all the rest. I am no courtier of America. I maintain that 
parliament has a right tO bind, to restrain America. Our 
legislative power over the colonies is sovereign and supreme. 
* When,' asks the honorable gentleman, * wore the colonies 
emancipated ?' At what time, say I in answer, were they 
made slaves ? I speak from accurate knowledge when I say 
that the profits to Great Britain xbom the trade of the colonies, 
through all its branches, is 2,000,000 per annum. This is 
the fund which carried you triumphantly through the war ; 
this is the price America pays you for her protection ; and 
shall a miserable financier come with a boast that he can fetch 
a pepper-corn into the exchequer, at the loss of millions to the 
nation? 

"I know the valor of your troops ; I know the skill of your 
officers ; 1 know the force of this country; but, in such a cause, 
your success would be hazardous. America, if she fell, would 
fall like the strong man. She would embrace the pillars of the 
state, and pull down the constitution with her. Is this your 
boasted peace ? not to sheathe the sword in the scabbard, but 
to sheathe it in the bowels of your countrymen ? The Amer- 
icans have been wronged ; they have been driven to madness 
by injustice ! Will you punish them for the madness you 



FROM 1760 TO 1775. 189 

hare occasioned ? No : let this country be the first to resume 
its prudence and temper. I will pledge myself for the colonies, 
that, on their part, animosity and resentment will cease. Upon 
the whole, I will beg leave to tell the house in few words what 
is really my opinion. It is, that the stamp act be repealed ab- 
solutely, totally and immediately." 

Sec. X. 1767. The subject of the taxation 
was again resumed by the parUament, and the 
colonies were required to make provision for the 
support of the British troops in America. New 
York refused ; and an act was passed for restrain- 
ing the assembly of this colony, until they should 
comply with the requisition. The colonies, gen- 
erally, now began to be seriously alarmed at the 
oppressive measures pursued by the British gov- 
ernment. 

During the present year, the controversy 
concerning the New Hampshire Grants became 
so serious and alarming as to require the inter- 
position of the crown. A royal order was given 
to the governor, directing him to suspend all 
proceedings relative to these grants, until his 
majesty's further pleasure be made known. The 
colony of New York contained, at this time, up- 
wards of 160,000 inhabitants. 

This period was characterized by a rapid extension of the 
settlements. Establishments were, about this time, commenc- 
ed at Johnstown, fort Ann, Whitehall, and several other places. 
The exertions which were made for the opening and improve- 
ment of roads, with the liberal terms on which lands were 
obtained, tended very much to the promotion of these estab- 
lishments. 

Sec. XI. In 1770, lord Dunmore was ap- 
pointed governor of the province. He was 



190 HISTORY OF NEW YCTlZ<. 

succeeded, the following year, by Mr. Tryon, 
who, in 1772, made an attempt to conciliate the 
minds of the settlers of the New Hampshire 
Grants. Some negotiations took place, but no 
conciliation v/as effected, and the controversy 
continued to rage with increasing animosity. 

In 1 774, the assembly passed an act, by which 
it was declared felony, punishable by death, for 
any of the settlers of the New Hampshire Grants 
to oppose the government by force. The govern- 
or, at the same time, made proclamation, offer- 
ing a reward of 50 pounds each, for the appre- 
hending and securing of Ethan Allen, Seth 
Warner, and six others of the most obnoxious of 
the settlers. 

The inhabitants of New Hampshire Grants became still 
more violent in their opposition, and formed new associations 
for mutual support. At a general meeting of the committees 
for the townships, on the west side of the Green mountains, it 
was resolved, " That, for the future, every necessary prepara- 
tion be made, and that our inhabitants hold themselves in i 
readiness, at a minute's warning, to aid and defend such 
friends of ours, who, for their merit to the great and general 
cause, are falsely denominated rioters; but that we will not 
act any thing, more or less, but on the defensive, and always 
encourage due execution of the law, in civil cases, and also 
in criminal prosecutions, that are so indeed; and that we will 
assist, to the utmost of our power, the officers appointed for 
that purpose." The proscribed persons, in an address to the 
people of the county of Albany, made this public declaration : 
" We will kill and destroy any person or persons, whomsoever, 
who shall presume to be accessary, aiding or assisting in tak- 
ing any of us." 

" To avoid the government of New York, a plan was con« 
trived, about this time, by some of the inhabitants and Philip 



FROM 1760 TO 1775. 191 

Skeen, to have the New Hampshire Grants formed into a royal 
government, as a new province. Skeen was a colonel in one 
of the king's regiments, and had large possessions on lake 
Champlain. To effect his designs, he went to the court of 
Great Britain, and seems to have met with some success. On 
March 16th, 1775, he wrote to one of the agents, that he was 
appointed to the government of Crown Point and Ticondero- 
ga ; and should soon call upon all the Hampshire inhabitants 
for an address, to show their loyalty to the king ; and he had 
no doubt but they would show themselves to be as loyal sub- 
jects as he had represented them."* 

Sec. XII. 1775. The coercive measures of 
the British government were not rehnquished. 
Early in the present year, bills were passed for 
restraining the trade of New England, and of 
the middle and southern colonies, with the ex- 
ception of New York, Delaware and North 
Carolina. 

The manifest object of the ministry, in mak- 
ing this discrimination, was to promote disunion 
among the colonies. The plan, however, proved 
unsuccessful. The exempted colonies spurned 
the proffered favor, and submitted to the re- 
straints imposed on their neighbors. 

At the time the restraining acts were framing, the assembly 
of New York were preparing a petition for a redress of griev- 
ances. On the receipt of this petition, the British parliament 
were not a little disappointed to find the very " loyal assembly 
of New York" stating, " that an exemption from internal tax- 
ation, and the exclusive right of providing for their own civil 
government, and the administration of justice in the colony, 
were esteemed, by them, as their undoubted and unalienable 
rights." 

Sec. XIII. The controversy relative to the 

* Williams. 



192 HISTORY OF NEW lORK. 

New Hampshire Grants continued to rage with 
unabated violence. In the spring of the present 
year, an event took place, which served still fur- 
ther to exasperate both parties. 

In consequence of the differences existing with the British 
government, the courts of justice held under the royal author- 
ity, in the adjacent provinces, were either shut up, or adjourned 
without transacting any business. At the time appointed for 
the session of the court at Westminster, in the New Hamp- 
shire Grants, some of the inhabitants of this and the adjacent 
towns took possession of the court-house at an early hour, to 
prevent the officers of the court from entering. 

The judges, on being refused admittance at the customary 
hour of opening the court, retired to their quarters. About 
11 o'clock at night, the sheriff and other officers, attended by 
an armed force, repaired to the court-house ; when, being 
again refused admittance, some of the party fired into the 
house, killed one man, and wounded several. 

The people were highly inflamed by this rash proceeding, 
and, on the following day, assembled in large numbers. A 
coroner attended, and a jury of inquest brought in a verdict, 
that the man was murdered by the court party. Some of the 
officers were seized, and carried to the jail at Northampton, 
m Massachusetts, but were released from confinement on ap- 
plication to the chief justice of New York. 

Committees of a large body of the people soon after met 
at Westminster, and, amongst other measures, passed the fol- 
lowing resolve : — " That it is the duty of the inhabitants 
wholly to renounce and resist the administration of the gov- 
ernment of New York, until such time as their lives and 
property can be secured by it ; or until they can have oppor- 
tunity to lay their grievances before the king, with a petition 
to be annexed to some other government, or erected into a 
new one, as may appear best for the inhabitants." 

Sec. XIV. Matters now appeared about to 
form a most sanguinary crisis. Both parties 
were in the highest state of resentment and ex- 



FROM 1760 TO 1775. 193 

asperation, when an event, the most tremendous 
in its consequences, arrested the attention of all, 
and gave a new channel to the torrent of popu- 
lar fury. 

The breaking out of the American war al; 
Lexington, by presenting new scenes and great- 
er objects, seems to have prevented either party 
from proceeding to open hostilities, and turned 
their attention from their particular contest to 
the general cause of America. Local and pro- 
vincial contests were at once swallowed up by 
the novelty, the grandeur and the importance 
of the contest, which then opened between 
Britain and America. 

" War, which the people of the colonies supposed would 
have ceased, and never had any further origin or progress 
amoncr them, had broke out in a new form, and with a most 
awful appearance. In their former calamities, war had al- 
ways borne the appearance of a contest between the crowns 
of England and France, and was consistent with the ac- 
knowledged duties of allegiance, civil and moral law. Now 
it was clothed in all the political horrors that could be put 
upon slaughter and destruction. On the part of Great Britain, 
the Americans said it was a long-concerted plan of systematic 
oppression and tyranny, in a British king and parliament. On 
the part of the Americans, the British minister and king declar- 
ed it was a most insolent scheme of unprovoked treason and 
rebellion, which must be crushed and punished. 

" In this state of irritation and mutual accusation, the 
sword was drawn, and, from all maxims and measures of mon- 
archy, the Americans knew it was necessary for them to throw 
away the scabbard. Their business now was not to contend 
about boundaries, titles, grants, or the decisions of the British 
courts or parliaments, but to prepare for a contest, the event 
of which would determine not barely an abstract question 
about sovereignty, but every thing that concerned their rights, 
17 



194 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

properties and lives ; and this contest, new and unexpected, 
of a duration and issue totally unknown and incalculable, was 
to be carried on by a people divided into several provinces, 
disunited in their interests, manners, forms of religion and 
government, without a ship, without a magazine, and without 
a regiment, against one of the most wealthy, powerful and 
warlike nations of Europe — a nation whom the Americans 
loved and revered, with whom they had been connected by the 
ties of blood, religion, affection, language, commerce, interest, 
and all the considerations which ever can bind one nation to 
another. Every other object seemed to disappear, and the 
new and fearful scene of war with Britain became the object 
of universal attention and exertion. Cool calculations on the 
most probable issue and effect would have carried the feeiings 
of death into the hearts and proceedings of the Americans ; 
but necessity and the genius of liberty urged and drove 
them on."* 

* Williams. 



1 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 195 



CHAP. XL 

COMMENCEMENT OF THE REYOLUTIONARY 

WAR. 

Origin of the Controversy with Great Britain re- 
capitulated. State of Affairs in the Colony, 
Convention appoint Delegates to the Provincial 
Congress. War breaks out at Lexington. Dis- 

• turhances in Neiv York. Capture of Ticonde- 
roga and Croivn Point. Governor Tryon ar- 

^rives. Expedition against Canada. Surrender 
of Chambly, St. John'^s and Montreal. Mont- 
gomery appears before Quebec. His Death. 
, Inhabitants of Tryon County disarmed. Pro- 

■ vincial Troops enter Neio York. Americans 

• evacuate Canada. Declaration of Independence. 

Sec. I. The dissensions between the colonies 
and their mother country commenced soon after 
the peace of 1763, and originated in the right 
claimed by the king and parHament to tax the 
colonies, and to make laws binding them in all 
cases. The colonies contended that taxation 
and r^epresentation were inseparable ; and that, 
as^ tljey had no representation in the British par- 
Hament, such ris^ht could not exist. 

Previous to the peace of 1763, the colonies had been per- 
mitted to tax themselves without the interference of parliament. 
The first act, for the avowed purpose of raising a revenue from 
the colonies, was passed by the British parliament in 1764, 
laying a duty on sundry articles of American consumption. 



196 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

Of this act the colonies highly disapproved, because it recog- 
nised a right to tax them without their consent. In pursuance 
of the same policy, the celebrated stamp act was passed the 
following year, and excited general indignation throughout 
the colonies. 

Sec. II. The controversy, thus introduced, 
had been continued for 10 years, increasing in 
animosity, and had gathered strength and ma- 
turity from various circumstances of aggression 
and violence. The state of affairs during this 
period presents a series of coercive and oppres- 
sive measures on the one hand, and of uniform 
and unshaken resistance on the other. 

The Americans had no desire for a separation from Eng- 
land, and neither party appears to have anticipated a civil war. 
Both parties were resolutely determined not to abandon the 
ground they had assumed, and were indulging the hope, that 
they should ultimately find means to bring their opponents to 
submission. Matters were, however, obviously tending towards 
that point, at which all hope of reconciliation must be banish- 
ed for ever. 

Sec. III. 1775. The second continental 
congress was to be assembled, the present year, 
at Philadelphia, in May. The subject of sending 
delegates to this congress was much agitated in 
the colony of New York, and a large number of 
the citizens were in favor of the measure. On 
the refusal of the constitutional assembly to ap- 
point them, a provincial convention was called 
by the people for this purpose. The convention 
assembled at the city of New York on the 22d of 
April, and proceeded to make the appointments. 

This convention was composed of deputies from New York, 
Albany, Dutchess, Ulster, Orange, West-Chester, King's and 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 197 

Suffolk counties. They appointed Philip Livingston, George 
Clinton, James Duane, John Alsop, Simon Boerum, William 
Floyd, John Jay, Henry Wisner, Philip Schuyler, Lewis 
Morris, Francis Lewis and Robert R. Livingston, jr. delegates 
to the continental congress, who, or any five of them, were 
intrusted with full power to concert with the delegates from 
the other colonies, and determine upon such measures as 
should be judged most effectual for the preservation and re- 
establishment of American rights and privileges, and for the 
restoration of harmony between Great Britain and the colonies. 

An event, which occurred on the 5th of March, will convey 
a tolerable idea of the state of feeling at that time in the city 
of New York. " The whigs, whose hearts were set upon 
having delegates for the new continental congress, upon the 
assembly's declining to appoint them, contrived to collect 
their fellow citizens together in order to obtain their opinion. 

" When assembled in a body, there was a confused cry of 
* Congress or no congress V After much altercation, the 
lories had recourse to compulsive reasoning, and began to 
deal about their blows. The whigs were in the worst situa- 
tion, not being provided with similar arguments, till two ef 
their number repaired to an adjacent cooper's yard, from 
whence they drew forth to their friends a number of hoop- 
sticks, which they reduced to a proper length, and forwarded 
to the combatants. The whigs soon carried the day, by club- 
law, and beat their opponents off the ground."* 

Sec. IV. The massacre of the provincial 
mihtia by the British troops, at Lexington, in 
Massachusetts, on the 19th of April, opened the 
scene, and introduced the war of the revolution. 
The intelligence of this event excited a general 
burst of indignation throughout the continent. 

A large quantity of military stores had been deposited by 
the provincials at Concord. General Gage, the king's govern- 



* Gordon. — The terms rchig and tory were applied to those in favor 
of and opposed to the continental congress, and were afterwards used 
as synonymous with repxiblican and royalist. 

17* ' ' 



198 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

or of Massachusetts, sent a detachment from Boston, consist- 
ing of 800 men, under lieutenant-colonel Smith and major 
Pitcairn, to destroy them. On their arrival at Lexington, 70 
of the militia had assembled, and were under arms on parade. 
These were, without provocation, fired upon by the British, 
and eight were killed, and several wounded. The detach- 
ment then advanced to Concord, and destroyed the stores. 
After killing several of the militia, who came out to oppose 
them, they retreated to Lexington. During the retreat, they 
were much harassed by the provincials, who fired upon them 
from behind walls, hedges and buildings. At Lexington, they 
were reinforced, by lord Percy, with 900 men, some marines, 
and two field-pieces. Still annoyed by the provincials, they 
continued their retreat to Bunker's hill, in Charlestown, and, 
on the following day, passed over to Boston. The loss of 
the British, in this enterprise, was 273 ; that of the Americans 
amounted to 88 killed, wounded and missing. 

The people of New York were, at this crisis, 
much divided in their opinions with regard to 
the measures to be pursued. Many were still 
disposed to continue the exertions for effecting 
a reconcihation of the controversy with Great 
Britain. To most it was, however, obvious, that 
the period of reconciliation was now past, 
and that the only safety for the colonies was to 
be found in vigorous and effectual defence 
against the arms and attacks of their mother 
country. 

Sec. V. The disturbances in the city of New 
York, May the 5th, assumed so menacing an 
aspect, as to require extraordinary means for 
securing the public tranquillity. A committee of 
100 of the citizens was appointed for this pur- 
pose. This body presented a spirited address to 
the authorities of the city of London, stating 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 199 

their determination never to submit to the op- 
pressive measures of the British government. 

In this address, they declared that " The disposal of their 
own property with perfect spontaneity, and in a manner whol- 
ly divested of every appearance of constraint, is their indis- 
pensable birthright ; this exalted blessing they are resolutely 
determined to defend with their blood, and to transfer, uncon- 
taminated, to their posterity." They professed their readiness 
to submit cheerfully to a regulation of commerce, by the 
legislature of the parent country, excluding in its nature every 
idea of taxation. 

They gave assurance, " that America was grown so irritable 
by oppression, that the least shock in any part was, by the 
most powerful and sympathetic affection, instantaneously felt 
through the whole continent ; that while the whole continent 
were ardently wishing for peace on such terms as could be 
acceded to by Englishmen, they were indefatigable in pre- 
paring for the last appeal." Near the close they observe — 
" We speak the real sentiments of the confederated colonies 
on the continent, from Nova Scotia to Georgia, when we de- 
clare, that all the horrors of a civil war w'ill never compel 
America to submit to taxation by authority of parliament." 

An association w^as the next day signed by above 1000 of 
the principal inhabitants of the city and country. They, in 
the most solemn manner, declared, that they associated to 
endeavor carrying into execution wiiatever measures might be 
recommended by the continental congress, or be resolved 
upon by their own provincial convention, for the purpose of 
preserving their constitution, and opposing the execution of 
the oppressive acts of the British parliament, until a reconcil- 
iation between Great Britain and America, on constitutional 
principles, could be obtained ; and they would in all things 
follow the advice of their general committee, respecting the 
purposes aforesaid, the preservation of peace and good order, 
and the safety of individuals and private property.* 

Sec. VI. It was deemed of importance, for 
putting the couutry in a posture of defence, to 

* Gordon. 



200 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

secure the fortresses at Ticonderoga and Crown 
Point. Colonel Ethan Allen, with a party of 
'''Green Mountain Boys,^^* on the morning of the 
10th of May, took possession of Ticonderoga 
by surprise. On the same day. Crown Point 
was surrendered to another party under colonel 
Warner. A third party surprised Skeensborough, 
(at present JV/iitehall,) and secured that impor- 
tant harbor. The capture of an armed sloop at 
St. John's, soon after, gave to the Americans the 
entire command of lake Champlain. 

When Allen arrived at Ticonderoga, he demanded the sur- 
render of the fort. "By what authority do you require it?" 
said De la Place, the commander. " I demand it," said Allen, 
" in the name of the great Jehovah, and the continental con 
gress !" The fort was in no situation for defence, and was 
immediately surrendered. By these enterprises, above 200 
pieces of cannon, and large quantities of ammunition and 
military stores, fell into the hands of the Americans. 

The capture of Ticonderoga and Crown Point was soon 
followed by the battle of Bunker^ s hill, which was fought, 
June 17th, on a high eminence in Charlestown, within cannon- 
shot of Boston. On the evening previous to the engagement, 
a detachment of 1000 Americans had been ordered to make 
an intrenchment on Bunker's hill ; but, by a mistake, they 
proceeded to Breed's hill, a short distance from the former, 
and, during the night, threw up a redoubt eight rods square, 
and four feet high. On the discovery of this redoubt, in the 
morning, by the British, they commenced a heavy cannonade 
upon it, from their ships and floating-batteries, and from a 
fortification on Copp's hill, in Boston. This was continued 
till noon without effect, when a detachment of 3000 men, 
under major-general Howe and brigadier-general Pigot, crossed 
Charles river with an intention to dislodge the Americans. 
The British were suffered to approach within twelve rods of 

* Troops from the New Hampshire Grants, so called. 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 201 

the redoubt, when the Americans opened their fire. The con- 
test was obstinately maintained, until, unfortunately for the 
Americans, their ammunition foiled, and, on the third charge 
of the British, they were compelled to retire. The number 
of British engao-ed in this action was about 3000, and their 
killed and wounded 1054. The whole number of Americans 
engaged was 15o0, and their killed, wounded and missing, 
453. The loss of major-general Warren, who fell just as the 
retreat commenced, was severely felt. The town of Charles- 
lown, containing about COO buildings, was wantonly burned by 
order of general Gage, the British commander. 

Sec. VII. Governor Tryon, who had been 
some time absent on a visit to Europe, arrived 
at New York on the 24th of June. He was 
much esteemed by a large portion of the citizens, 
and- received a compUmentary address from the 
city authorities. His exertions to promote the 
\royal cause soon rendered him extremely unpop- 
ular. In October, he became alarmed for his 
personal safety, and retired on board the Halifax 
packet. 

The few troops that were stationed at New 
York had been withdrawn some time previous 
to the arrival of governor Tryon. On the same 
day on which the address was presented to him, 
all the king's stores, of various kinds, at Turtle 
bay, were seized by the provincials, and re- 
moved. 

The city of New York was thrown into great consternation 
by an event which occurred on the 22d of August. The 
convention having resolved on the removal of the cannon 
from the battery, the business was intrusted to captain Sears. 
Captain Vandeput, of the Asia man-of-war, then lying in the 
harbor, was privately apprized of the design, and prepared to 
oppose its execution. Learning when it was to be attempted, 



202 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

he ordered a boat to watch the motion of the people assembled 
for that purpose about midnight. The sailors in the boat 
giving the signal of what was going forward, with a flash of 
powder, the persons on shore mistook it for an attempt to fire 
a musket at them, and immediately aimed a volley of shot at 
the boat, by which one man was killed. Captain Vandeput 
then commenced firing from the Asia with grape-shot, by 
which several persons were wounded. He soon ceased for a 
considerable time, supposing that the people had desisted from 
their purpose ; while they were only changing their mode of 
operation. Captain Sears provided a deceiving party, intended 
to draw the Asia's fire from the line of the working party. 
He sent the former behind a breastwork, by which they were 
secured on dodging down upon observing the flash of the 
Asia's guns. When all was in readiness, they huzzaed, and 
sung out their notes, as though tugging in unison, and fired 
from the walls ; while the working party silently got off 21 
eighteen pounders, with carriages. On hearing the noise, and 
seeing the flash of the musketry, the captain ordered the Asia 
to fire a whole broadside toward that part of the fort wher^' 
the deceiving party had secured themselves, without, howevw, 
effecting much damage. On the following day, a removal of 
men, women, children and goods commenced ; but matters 
were soon after so adjusted as to quiet the apprehensions of 
the citizens. 

Sec. VIII. A regular system of military 
opposition having been resolved upon by the 
continental congress, George Washington, of Vir- 
ginia, was appointed commander-in-chief of the 
American army. Amongst other appointments, 
Philip Schuyler, of New York, was appointed 
major-general, and Richard Montgomery brig- 
adier-general. 

While Washington was engaged in organizing 
the main body of the army in Massachusetts, an 
important expedition was planned against Can- 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 203 

ada, the command of which was assigned to 
generals Schuyler and Montgomery. 

For this expedition, it was proposed to raise 2000 men, two 
regiments of which were to be raised in New York, and the 
remainder from the New England colonies. An armament 
was fitted out at Ticonderoga and Crown Point, and, on 
September the 4tli, Montgomery, with the forces that had ar- 
rived, moved down the lake. He was joined by Schuyler at 
Isle la Motte, when they both moved on to Isle aux Noix, and 
took measures to prevent the British vessels entering the lake. 

On the 6th of September, the American army, consisting 
of about 1000 men, advanced towards St. John's ; but, finding 
the fort completely fortified and garrisoned, they resolved to 
return to Isle aux Noix, and await the arrival of artillery and 
reinforcements. General Schuyler returned to Albany, to 
conclude a treaty with the Indians. 

^ Sec. IX. The reinforcemients having arrived, 
\ Montgomery proceeded to St. John's, on the 1-7 th 
b-f September, and began the siege. The fort 
at Chambly, situated farther down the river So- 
relle, was soon after invested by majors Brown and 
Livingston, assisted by the Canadians who had 
joined the American forces, and compelled to 
surrender. Having obtained from this capture 
a large supply of military stores, the siege of 
St. John's was pressed with great vigor. After 
an obstinate resistance, this fortress, with about 
700 prisoners of war, was surrendered to Mont-* 
gomery, on the 3d of November. 

Montreal was, soon after, surrendered without 
opposition. From this place, Montgomery rap- 
idly advanced towards Quebec. 

During the siege of St. John's, general Carlton, with a force 
of 800 men, chiefly from Montreal, made an effort to relieve 



204 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

the place. While they were attempting to cross the St. Law- 
rence, colonel Warner, who, with a body of 300 men, was 
watching their movements, commenced a most spirited attack, 
and compelled them to retire in confusion. Upon the fall of 
St. John's, Carlton retired to Quebec. 

In the mean time, a body of troops from Massachusetts, 
under the command of colonel Arnold, had been, detached by 
general Washington to cooperate against duebec. Arnold, 
with 700 men, arrived at point Levi, November 9th, and, on 
the 19th, encamped at point au Trembles, to await the arrival 
of Montgomery. 

Sec. X. Montgomery, with the New York 
troops, effected a junction with Arnold on the 
1st of December, and, on the 5th, with their 
united forces, appeared before Quebec. On the 
31st, the Americans made an attempt to carry 
the city by storm. They were, however, repuls- 
ed, with the loss of Montgomery, their brave 
commander, and near half their troops. After 
this repulse, Arnold, with the remains of the ar- 
my, retired about three miles from Quebec, 
where he encamped for the winter. 

" Montgomery, having determined to attempt the assault, 
convoked a council of war, and acquainted them with his 
project. Without denying that it was of difficult execution, he 
maintained that it was possible, and that valor and prudence 
would triumph over all obstacles. All were in favor of his 
'proposition. A few companies of Arnold, dissatisfied with 
their commander, alone testified their repugnance. But cap- 
tain Morgan, a man of real merit, addressed them a persuasive 
discourse, and their opposition ceased. The general had al- 
ready arranged in his mind the plan of attack, and thought 
of all the means proper to carry it into execution. He mtended 
it should take place, at the same time, against the upper and 
lower town. But, understanding a deserter had given notice 
of it to the governor, he resolved to divide his army into four 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 205 

corps, two of which, composed in great part of Canadians, 
under the command of majors Livingston and Brown, were 
to occupy the attention of the enemy by two feigned attacks 
of the upper town, towards St. John's and cape Diamond. 
The two others, led, the first by Montgomery, the second by 
Arnold, were reserved to assault the lower part of the town 
from two opposite points. The general was perfectly aware 
that, after he should have carried this part of Quebec, there 
would remain many difficulties to be surmounted, in order to 
conquer the other. But he hoped that the inhabitants, on 
seeing so great a proportion of their property fallen into the 
power of the victors, would force the governor to capitulate. 

" The last day of the year 1775, between four and five 
o'clock in the morning, in the midst of a heavy storm of snow, 
the four columns put themselves in motion, in the best order, 
each towards the point assigned. 

" It is said that captain Frazer, of the Irish emigrants, in 
going his round, perceived the fusees which the Americans 
fired to give the signal ; and that immediately, without waiting 
further orders, he caused the drums to beat, and roused the 
garrison to arms. The columns of Livingston and Brown, 
impeded by the snow and other obstacles, were not in time to 
execute their feints. But Montgomery, at the head of his, 
composed chiefly of New York men, advanced upon the bank 
of the river, marching by the way denominated Anse de mer, 
under cape Diamond. Here was encountered a first barrier, 
at a place called Potasse, which was defended by a battery of 
a few pieces of cannon : farther on, at the distance of 200 
paces from this, stood a redoubt, furnished with a sufficient 
guard. The soldiers that composed it, being the greater part, 
Canadians, on seeing the enemy approach, were seized with 
terror, threw down their arms, and fled. The battery itself 
was abandoned ; and if the Americans could have advanced 
with sufficient expedition, they would certainly have been 
masters of it. But, in turning cape Diamond, the foot of 
wliich is bathed by the waters of the river, they found the 
road interrupted by enormous masses of snow. Montgomery, 
with his own hands, endeavored to open a path for his troops, 
who followed him man by man : he was compelled to wait 
18 



206 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

for them. At length, having assembled about 200, whom he 
encouraged with voice a«nd example, he moved courageously 
and rapidly toward the barrier. But, in the meantime, a can- 
nonier, who had retreated from the battery, on seeing the 
enemy halt, returned to his post, and, taking a match, which 
happened to be still burning, fired a cannon charged with 
grape-shot. The Americans were within 40 paces. This single 
explosion totally extinguished the hopes they had conceived. 
Montgomery, as well as captains Macpherson and Cheesman, 
both young men of singular merit, and dear to the general, 
were killed upon the spot. The soldiers shrunk back on 
seeing their general fall ; and colonel Campbell, on whom the 
command devolved, was not a man capable of executing so 
perilous an enterprise. The flight soon became universal ; so 
that this part of the garrison, no longer having enemies to 
combat, was at liberty to fly to the succor of that which was 
attacked by Arnold. 

" This colonel, who was himself at the head of the forlorn 
hope, marched by the way of St. Roques towards the place 
called Saut-mi-MateJot. Captain Lamb followed him with a 
company of artillery and one piece of cannon : next came the 
main body, preceded by the riflemen under captain Morgan. 
The besieged had erected at the entrance of the avenue a battery 
which defended a barrier. The Americans found themselves 
confined within a passage obstructed by deep snow, and so 
commanded by the works of the enemy, that his grape-shot 
swept it in every direction. Meanwhile, Arnold advanced 
rapidly under the fire of the besieged, who manned the walls. 
He received a musket-ball in the leg, which wounded him 
severely, splintering the bone. It was necessary to carry him 
to the hospital, almost by compulsion. Captain Morgan then 
took the command, and, with all the impetuosity of his char- 
acter, he launched himself against the battery, at the head of 
two companies. The artillery of the enemy continued to fire 
grape-shot, but with little effect. 

" The American riflemen, celebrated for their extreme ad- 
dress, killed many of the English soldiers through the embra- 
sures. They applied ladders to the parapet. The besieged 
were daunted, and abandoned the battery to the assailants. 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 207 

Morgan, with his companies, and a few soldiers of the centre, 
who were come up to the vanguard, made many prisoners, 
English as well as Canadians : but his situation became ex- 
tremely critical. The main body had not yet been able to 
join him ; he had no guide, and he was unacquainted with the 
city; he had no artillery, and the day was still far from dawn- 
ing. He found himself constrained to halt ; his soldiers began 
to reflect upon their position ; their ardor cooled rapidly. 
The ignorance in which they were of their other columns ; the 
obscurity of night; the snow, which fell with redoubled violence; 
the firing of musketry, which was heard on every side, and 
even behind them • finally, the uncertainty of the future, filled 
the boldest spirits with an involuntary terror, Morgan alone 
resisted the panic ; he rallied his riflemen, promising them a 
certain victory. He ran to the barrier to spur on those who 
had remained behind. Lieutenant-colonel Green, majors Big- 
elow and Meigs joined him with their companies. The 
morning began to dawn, when Morgan, with a terrible voice, 
summoned his troops to the assault. He led on with fury 
against a second battery, which he knew to be only a few 
paces distant, though masked by an angle of the road. On 
turning the corner, he encountered a detachment of English, 
who had sallied from the battery under the command of- cap- 
tain Anderson. The latter summoned the Americans to lay 
down their arms. Morgan levelled a musket at his head, and. 
laid him dead upon the ground. The English then retreated 
within the battery, and closed the barrier. A fierce combat 
ensued, which cost many lives to the two parties, but most to 
the Americans, whose flanks were exposed to a destructive 
fire of musketry from the windows of the houses. Mean- 
while, some of the most adventurous, having rested their lad- 
ders against the palisade, appeared disposed to leap it ; but, 
on seeing two files of soldiers prepared to receive them on the 
points of their bayonets, they renounced this project. Cut 
down by a continual fire, they now sought shelter in the 
houses, Morgan remained almost alone, near the barrier, 
endeavoring, in vain, to recall his soldiers, and inspire them 
with fresh courage. Weariness, and the menacing counte- 
nance of the enemy, had disheartened the most audacious. 
Their arms, bathed by the snow, which continued to fall 



208 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

impetuously, were no longer of any use to them. Morgan, 
then, seeing the expedition frustrated, ordered the retreat to 
sound, in order to avoid being surrounded. But the soldiers 
who had taken refuge in the houses were afraid to expose 
themselves to the tempest of shot that must have been en- 
countered, in gaining the corner of the avenue, where they 
would have been out of danger, and whence they might have 
retired behind the first barrier. The loss they had sustained, 
the fury of the storm, and the benumbing effects of the cold, 
had deprived them of all courage. In the meantime, a de- 
tachment of the besieged sallied out from a gate of the palace, 
and captain Dearborn, who, with his company of provincials, 
held himself in reserve near this gate, having surrendered, the 
English retook all this part of the city ; consequently, Morgan 
saw himself encircled by enemies. He proposed to his fol- 
lowers to open, with arms, the way of retreat ; but they re- 
fused, in the hope that the assault given on the other part 
might have succeeded, and that Montgomery would soon 
come to their relief They resolved to defend themselves in 
the meantime ; but, having at length perceived, by the contin- 
ually increasing multitude of enemies, the true state of things, 
they yielded to destiny, and laid down their arms. 

" Such was the issue of the assault given by the Americans 
to the city of Quebec, in the midst of the most rigorous sea- 
son of the year — an enterprise, which, though, at first view, it 
may seem rash, was certainly not impossible. The events 
themselves have proved it ; for, if general Montgomery had 
not been slain at the first onset, it is most probable, that, on 
his part, he would have carried the barrier, since, even at the 
moment of his death, the battery was abandoned, and only 
served by a few men. By penetrating at this point, while Ar- 
nold and Morgan obtained the same advantages in their attacks, 
all the lower city would have fallen into the power of the 
Americans. However this may be, though victory escaped 
them, their heroic efforts will be the object of sincere admira- 
tion. General Garlton, using his advantages nobly, treated the 
prisoners with much humanity. He caused the American 
general to be interred with all military honors."* 

* Botta. 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 209 

The death of this excellent officer was deeply lamented 
both in Europe and America. Born of a distinguished Irish 
family, Montgomery had entered in early youth the career of 
arms, and had served with honor in the preceding war be- 
*tween Great Britain and France. Having married an Amer- 
ican lady, and purchased an estate in the province of New 
York, he was considered, and considered himself, an Ameri- 
can. He loved glory much, and liberty yet more. Neither ge- 
nius, nor valor, nor occasion, failed him, but time and fortune. 
And if it is allowable from the past actions of men to infer 
the future, what motives are there for believing, that, if death 
had not taken him from his country in all the vigor of his age, 
he would have left it the model of military heroism and of civil 
virtue! He was beloved by the good, feared by the wicked, 
and honored even by enemies. The most powerful speakers 
in the British parliaiifent displayed their eloquence in prais- 
ing his virtues and lamenting his fall. Congress directed a 
monument to be erected to his memory, expressive of their 
sense of his high patriotism and heroic conduct. 

The garrison of Quebec consisted, at the time of the above 
attack, of about 1500 men ; the American forces were about 
800. The loss of the Americans, in kilkd and wounded, was 
about 100, and 300 were taken prisoners. 

Sec. XI. 1776. Congress received informa- 
tion, that a large number of the inhabitants of 
Tryon county were disaffected to the American 
cause, and, under the direction of sir John 
Johnson, were making mihtary preparations. 
It was resolved to disarm them, and the business 
was accordingly committed to general Schuyler. 

General Schuyler, about the middle of January, called out 
700 of the Albany county militia, and commenced his march ; 
but such was the enthusiasm of the people, that, on his arrival 
at Caghnewaga, his force amounted to near 3000, including 
900 of the Tryon county militia. The approach of so formi- 
dable a force intimidated the royalists to such a degree, that 
they were ready to make proposals of submission. 
18 * 



210 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

Tt was agreed that sir John, having given his parole of honor 
not to take up arms against America, should confine himself 
to certain limits ; — that he should deliver up all the cannon, 
arms and military stores, that, to his knowledge, were in the 
county, a few favorite family arms excepted ; — that the in- 
habitants should surrender their arms and 12 prisoners, who 
were to be selected by general Schuyler, and to be treated with 
humanity and due deference to rank. The whole number 
disarmed was supposed to amount to about 600. 

About the same time, a considerable number 
were intrenching themselves on Long Island, for 
the purpose of supporting the royal cause. A 
detachment of the Jersey militia were sent over, 
by whom they were disarmed, and their leaders 
secured. |p 

Sec. XII. General Lee, preceded by a de- 
tachment of the continental troops, entered New 
York early in February. In March, general 
Washington succeeded in expelling the British 
troops from Boston, and, anticipating an attempt 
upon New York, soon after, made this place the 
head-quarters of the army. 

About the time of Lee's arrival, the inhabitants were thrown 
into great consternation by the appearance of general Clinton, 
with an armed force, at the Hook. General Lee gave out — 
•" If the men of war set one house on fire in consequence of 
my coming, I will chain an hundred of their friends together, 
and make that house their funeral pile." Had any thing been 
attempted, he would, probably, have retaliated in a formidable 
manner; but Clinton, after tarrying a short time at the Hook, 
sailed to the southward. 

Sec XIII. The siege of Quebec was regular- 
ly maintained during the winter, and considerable 
reinforcements were ordered to that post. Gen- 
eral Thomas was appointed to take the command, 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 211 

and arrived on the 1st of May. The American 
force before Quebec amounted to 1900 men; 
but, the small-pox having broken out among the 
troops, not more than 900 were fit for duty. As 
it was impossible, in the present state of the 
army, to effect any enterprise, it was resolved, 
May the 5th, to make the best retreat in their 
power. 

The arrival of reinforcements gave the British 
a decided superiority, and the American army, 
in a series of unfortunate movements, were 
compelled to abandon one post after another, 
until, on the 17th of June, they wholly evacuated 
Canada. 

Previous to the retreat of the Americans from before Quebec-, 
Arnold had been stationed at Montreal. To prevent an attack 
from the English posts on the Upper St. Lawrence and the 
lakes, a party of the Americans, amounting to 390, had been 
stationed at the Cedars, a small fort, 43 miles above the city, 
under the command of colonel Beadle. A detachment of the 
British, under the command of a captain Foster, had come 
down from the lakes against this place. It consisted of 40 
British soldiers, 100 Canadians, and about 500 Indians; but 
they were armed only with muskets. Beadle, in a pusillani- 
mous manner, abandoned the command of the fort to a major 
Butterfield, and repaired to Montreal for a reinforcement ; and 
Butterlield, with an equal want of spirit, surrendered the fort 
and garrison to Foster, on the loth of May. Major Henry 
Sherburne, a brave and able officer, was detached from Mon- 
treal, with 140 men, to relieve the post at the Cedars. Before 
Sherburne arrived, Butterfield had surrendered, and his small 
party was surrounded and taken prisoners by the savages. 
Many of them were sacrificed to the savage fury, butchered 
by the tomahawk, or barbarously wounded and maimed after 
they had surrendered. Twenty were killed in cold blood, and 
seven or eight were carried off by the Indians ; the rest were 



212 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

stripped almost naked, drove in that situation to the fort, and 
delivered to captain Foster. To check this scene of conquest 
and barbarity, Arnold marched for the Cedars, at the head of 
8 or 900 men. To save himself and his garrison, Foster ac- 
quainted Arnold, that, if he would not agree to a cartel, which 
Sherburne and the other officers had been required and 
agreed to sign, but moved on to attack him, the Indians 
would immediately proceed to put every prisoner to death. 
Arnold hesitated, and was much averse to such a measure. 
At length he agreed to it, as the only expedient to save the 
prisoners from an immediate massacre. A cartel was conclud- 
ed and signed the 27th of May, for the exchange of 474 
Americans, who had been taken at the Cedars ; and that four 
American captains should remain as hostages till the prisoners 
were exchanged. The threatenings of Foster, his avowal of 
an universal massacre of the Americans, and the actual mur- 
der of several of them after their surrender, were deeply 
resented by congress. They resolved that Arnold's agreement 
was nothing more than a sponsion that might be annulled or 
confirmed by them, as he had no power to dispose of prisoners 
not in his possession or under his direction. They refused to 
return the British prisoners on their part, till the British com- 
mander in Canada should deliver into their hands the perpe- 
trators of the murders committed on the American prisoners, 
and make indemnification for the plunder of prisoners, con- 
trary to the articles of capitulation. At the same time, they 
cashiered Beadle and Butterfield, and declared them inca- 
pable of ever bearing a commission again in the American 
armies.* 

General Thomas died of the small-pox at Sorelle, and the 
command devolved on general Sullivan. By the assistance of 
Stark, Poor, Wayne, and other excellent officers, he succeeded 
in making a safe retreat before a far superior British force, 
and bringing the shattered remains of the American army 
safe to Crown Point. 

In June, an expedition was conducted by the British, under 
general Clinton and sir Peter Parker, against Charleston, South 
Carolina. On the 28th, they att:icked the fort on Sullivan's 

* Williams. 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 213 

Island, six miles below the town, with two 50 gun ships, four 
fricrates of 2S guns, besides several smaller vessels, and above 
3000 men. On the fort were mounted 26 cannon, with which 
the garrison, consisting of 375 regulars and a few militia, 
under the command of colonel Moultrie, made a most gallant 
defence. The attack was sustained for above 10 hours, when 
the British were compelled to retire, having their ships much 
shattered, and with the loss of 200 killed and wounded. The 
loss of the Americans was only 10 men killed, and 22 wound- 
ed. The fort, in compliment to the commanding officer, was, 
from that time, cdWed fort 3IouItrie. 

Sec. XIV. The Americans, notwithstanding 
the misfortunes which had attended their opera- 
tions the present year, were not dispirited. On 
the 7th of June, a motion was made in the con- 
tinental congress, then in session at Philadelphia, 
for a declaration of independence. After mature 
deliberation, they, on the 4^/i of July, 1776, in 
the name and by the authority of the people of 
the united colonies, solemnly published and 
declared — 

** That the united colonies are, and of right 
ought to be. Free and Independent States ; and 
that they are absolved from all allegiance to the 
British crown, and that all political connexion 
between them and the state of Great Britain is, 
and ought to be, totally dissolved." 

The motion for the declaration of independence was made 
in congress by Richard Henry Lee, of Virginia. This motion 
occasioned very interesting and animated debates, and gave 
great scope tO'genius and eloquence. Mr. Lee concluded his 
address to the house as follows : — " Why, then, do we longer 
delay? why still deliberate? Let this most happy day give 
birth to the American republic. Let her arise, not to devastate 
and conquer, but to re-establish the reign of peace and of the 



214 HISTORY OF NEW YORK 

laws. The eyes of Europe are fixed upon us. She demands 
of us a living example of freedom, that may contrast, by the 
felicity of the citizens, with the ever-increasing tyranny which 
desolates her polluted shores. She invites us to prepare an 
asylum, where the unhappy may find solace, and the persecuted 
repose. She entreats us to cultivate a propitious soil, where 
that generous plant, which first sprang up and grev/ in Eng- 
land, but is now withered by the poisonous blasts of Scottish 
tyranny, may revive and flourish, sheltering under its salubrious 
and interminable shade all the unfortunate of the human race. 

" This is the end presaged by so many omens, by our first 
victories, by the present ardor and union, by the flight of 
Howe,* and the pestilence which broke out amongst Dun- 
more's people,t by the very winds which baflled the enemy's 
fleets and transports, and that terrible tempest which ingulfed 
700 vessels upon the coast of Newfoundland. If we are not 
this day wanting in our duty to our country, the names of the 
American legislators will be placed, by posterity, at the side 
of those of Theseus, of Lycurgus, of Romulus, of Numa, of 
the three Williams of Nassau, and of all those whose memory 
has been, and will be for ever, dear to virtuous men and good 
citizens." 

Sec. XV. The intelligence of the declaration 
of independence was received on the 9th by the 
convention of the state of New York, then in 
session at White Plains. They immediately 
passed a unanimous resolution, fully approving 
of the measure, and expressing their determina- 
tion, at the risk of their lives and fortunes, to 
unite with the other colonies in supporting it. 

The declaration was signed by all the members of the con- 
tinental congress. The delegates from New York were Wil- 

* Alludintr to the evacuation of Boston by the British under Howe. 

t Lord Dunmore, the royal governor of Virginia, retired to the Fowey 
man of war, on board of which, and the other vessels of his squadron, 
a pestilential malady broke out, which carried off great numbers of the 
crowd, both white and black, which had thronged his vessels. 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 215 

liam Floydj Philip Livingston, Francis Lewis, and Lewis 
Morris. (For the declaration, see Appendix, No. 1.) 

When the declaration arrived at New York, it was read, in 
accordance with general orders, at the head of each brigade 
of the continental army, and was every where received with 
the utmost demonstrations of joy. The same evening, the 
equestrian statue of the king was laid prostrate, and the 
lead, of which it was composed, doomed to be cast into bullets, 
for the use of the army. 



216 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 



CHAP. XII. 

THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 
FROM 1776 TO 1778. 

Disposition of British and American Troops at 
New York, Battle on Long Island. Ameri- 
cans evacuate New York. Americans continue 
to retreat. Fort Washington taken by the British. 
Operations on Lake Champlain. Convention 
adopt the State Constitution. Commencement of 
the Northern Campaign in 1777. Invasion of 
Burgoyne. His Capture. Enterprise of Clin- 
ton. State Government organized. 

Sec. I. 1776. It was now expected, that 
the enemy would make New York the principal 
point of attack, and great exertions were made 
for putting the place in a posture of defence. 
General Washington arrived on the 14th of 
April. The command of the British force was 
intrusted to lord Howe and his brother sir Wil- 
liam. On the 22d of August, lord Howe landed 
his troops, estimated at 24,000 men, at Graves- 
end bay, on Long Island. The American army, 
amounting to 15,000, under the command of gen- 
eral Sullivan, were encamped on a peninsula 
near the village of Brooklyn. 

The centre of the British army, composed of Hessians, 
under general Heister, encamped at Flatbush. The left wing, 
under general Grant, extended to the coast. The right wing, 
"composed of the principal army, under the command of gen- 
erals Clinton, Percy and Cornwallis, was extended towards 
the opposite coast at Flatla 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 217 

The Americans had thrown up strong fortifications, which 
were separated from New York by East river. A line of in- 
trenchments from Mill creek to the elbow of East river en- 
closed the American camp. The armies were separated by a 
range of hills, covered with thick wood, which intersected the 
country from west to east, terminating near Jamaica. These 
high-lands were occup^ied by large detachments from the 
American army. 

Sec. II. On the 27th of August, the British 
made an attack on the advanced posts of the 
American army. After an obstinate engagement, 
the Americans were compelled to retire, with 
great loss, to their intrenchments. They now 
resolved to withdraw from the island, and^pn the 
30th, a safe retreat was effected. 

" The position of the Americans having been reconnoitred, 
sir William Howe, from the intelligence given him, determined 
to attempt to turn their left flank. The right wing of his ar- 
my, consisting of a strong advanced corps, commanded by 
general Clinton, and supported by the brigades under lord Per- 
cy, began at nine o'clock at night, on the 26th of August, to 
move from Flatland, and, passing through the New Lots, ar- 
rived on the new road that crosses the hills from Bedford to 
Jamaica. Having taken a patrol, they seized the pass, without 
alarming the Americans. At half after eight in the morning, 
the British troops, having passed the heights, and reached 
Bedford, began an attack on the left of t-he American army. 
In the centre, general De Heister, soon after daylight, had 
begun to cannonade the troops which occupied the direct road 
to Brooklyn, and which were commanded by general Sullivan 
in person. As soon as the firing toward Bedford was heard, 
De Heister advanced, and attacked the centre of the Ameri- 
cans, who, after a warm engagement, were routed, and driven 
into the woods. The firing toward Bedford giving them the 
alarming notice that the British had turned their left flank, 
and were getting completely in their rear, they endeavored to 
escape to the camjp. The sudden rout of the party enabled 



218 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

De Heister to detach a part of his force against those who 
were engaged near Bedford. There, also, the Americans 
were broken, and driven into the woods ; and the front of the 
British column, led by general Clinton, continuing to move 
forward, intercepted and engaged those whom De Heister had 
routed, and drove them back into the woods. There they 
again met the Hessians, who drove them back on the British. 
Thus alternately chased and intercepted, some forced their 
way through the enemy to the lines of Brooklyn ; several 
saved themselves in the coverts of the woods ; but a great part 
of the detachment was killed or taken. 

" The left column, led by general Grant, advancing from the 
Narrows along the coast, to divert the attention of the Amer- 
icans from the principal attack on the right, had, about mid- 
night, fallen in with lord Stirling's advanced guard, stationed 
at a strdfi^ pass, and compelled them to relinquish it. As they 
were slowly retiring, they were met, on the summit of the hills, 
about break of day, by lord Stirling, who had been directed, 
with the two nearest regiments, to meet the British on the 
road leading from the Narrows. Lord Stirling having posted 
his men advantageously, a furious cannonade commenced on 
both sides, which continued several hours. The firing toward 
Brooklyn, where the fugitives were pursued by the British, 
giving notice to lord Stirling that the enemy had gained his 
rear, he instantly gave orders to retreat across a creek, near 
the Yellow hills. The more effectually to secure the retreat 
of the main body of the detachment, he determined to attirck 
in person a British corps under lord Cornwallis, stationed 
at a house somewhat above the place where he proposed 
crossing the creek. With about 400 men, drawn out of 
Smallwood's regiment for that purpose, he made a very spirit- 
ed attack, and brought up this small corps several times to- 
the charge, with confident expectation of dislodging lord 
Cornwallis from his post ; but, the force in his front increas- 
ing, and general Grant now advancing in his rear, he was 
compelled to surrender himself and his brave men prisoners 
of war. This bold attempt, however, gave opportunity to a 
large part of the detachment to cross the creek, and effect an. 
escape."* 

* Holmes's Annals. 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 219 

The loss of the Americans in the battle on Long Island, 
in killed, wounded and taken prisoners, was upwards of 1000. 
Among the prisoners captured by the enemy were generals 
Sullivan, Stirling and Woodhull. The loss of the British was 
estimated at about 400. 

- The successful retreat from Long Island was attended by 
favorable auspices, and conducted with the most consummate 
address. After the necessary preparations, on the 29th of 
August, at eight in the evening, the troops silently began to 
move, and at eleven were on board their vessels. A violent 
north-east wind, and ebb tide, at first prevented their passage. 
Fortunately, the wind suddenly veered to the north-west, when 
they immediately made sail, and landed in New York. About 
two o'clock in the morning, a thick fog, at this season of the 
year uncommon, covered Long Island, the New York side 
remaining perfectly clear. It was not till some time after 
sunrise, that the fog was dispelled, and the English perceived 
that the Americans had abandoned their camp, and were shel- 
tered from pui-suit. 

Sec. III. Immediately after their victory on 
Long Island, the enemy made dispositions to 
attack New York. It was thought prudent to 
evacuate the city, and the American troops re- 
tired to Haerlem and King's Bridge. The Brit- 
ish took possession of the place on the 15th of 
September, and encamped the main body of 
their army on York Island, near the American 
lines. 

The day following the retreat from New York, 
a considerable body of the enemy appearing in 
the plains between the two camps, general 
Washington ordered colonel Knowlton, with a 
corps of rangers, and major Leitch, with three 
companies of a Virginian regiment, to^get in 



220 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

their rear, while he amused them by making ap- 
parent dispositions to attack their front. The 
plan succeeded, and a skirmish ensued, in which 
the Americans charged the enemy with great 
intrepidity, and gained considerable advantages. 
This action exerted a happy influence in reviv- 
ing the depressed spirits of the army. 

A few days after the British took possession of New York, 
\ very destructive fire broke out in the city, nearly one fourth 
part of which was laid in ashes. About 1000 houses were 
consumed. 

Sec. IV. The American army being, in point 
of numbers, greatly inferior to that of the ene- 
my, it was resolved, in council of war, to adopt 
the course of evacuating and retreating. Gen- 
eral Washington, accordingly, drew ofl^ the main 
body of the army from York Island, and en- 
camped at White Plains. Lord Howe advanced 
upon him with 15,000 effective men, and an en- 
gagement ensued on the 28th of October. The 
loss on each side amounted to several hundreds, 
but no decisive advantage was obtained. 

On the 30th, the British army, having received considerable 
reinforcements, again made dispositions to attack the Ameri- 
can lines ; but a violent rain setting in induced a postpone- 
ment of the assault. The Americans, soon after, withdrew, 
in the night, to the heights of North Castle, about five miles 
from White Plains ; there their position was so strong, that 
the enemy declined any attempt. General Washington, leaving 
about 7500 men, under general Lee, for the defence of North 
Castle, then crossed the Hudson, and continued his retreat to .j| 
the southward. jfl 

Sec V. The American army continued re-™ 
tiring from New York, and sir William Howe 

# 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 221 

embraced the opportunity of reducing fort 
Washington, on the Hudson. 

The fort was invested by the English forces on the 16th of 
November. After a severe contest, which continued nearly 
the whole day, colonel Magaw, the commander, finding his 
ammunition mostly exhausted, surrendered the fortress, and, 
with it, about 2000 men, as prisoners of war. Fort Lee, on 
the Jersey shore, was soon after abandoned to the enemy. 

Sec. VI. While these operations were going 
on in the southern part of the state, the northern 
division of the army, under general Gates, was 
engaged in repairing the fortress at Ticonderoga, 
and making preparations for securing the com- 
mand of lake Champlain. The works of Ti- 
conderoga were considerably enlarged, and, by 
the 18th of August, a considerable naval force 
was equipped and fitted for action. 

This armament consisted of one sloop, three schooners 
and five gondolas, carrying 55 guns, besides TO swivels, and 
was manned with about 400 men. The British, in the mean- 
time, at the north end of the lake, were engaged in fittino- out 
a superior naval force, which was completed early in October. 
In the number of vessels, guns and implements of war, and 
the number of men, the strength of the British was double to 
that of the American fleet. 

Sec. VII. The American fleet under creneral 
Arnold, the last of August, sailed down the lake, 
and took a position between Isle Valcour and 
the western main. General Carlton, with the 
British, proceeded up the lake, and made an 
attack on the 1 1th of October. An engagement 
ensued, which was obstinately maintained for 
several hours, when, the wind being unfavorable 
for the British, they withdrew their vessels from 
19* 



222 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

the action. Arnold, convinced of the superior 
strength of the enemy, endeavored, during the 
night, to effect a retreat. He v^as pursued on 
the following morning, and, on the 13th, a sec- 
ond engagement took place, near Crown Point, 
in which the British were completely victorious. 
Arnold landed his men, and, after blowing up 
his vessels, and firing the fortress at Crown 
Point, retreated to Ticonderoga. 

Sec. VIII. General Gates had now put the 
works at Ticonderoga in a state of defence, and, 
with 12,000 effective men, awaited an attack 
from the enemy. General Carlton, after recon- 
noitring the place, and not deeming it prudent 
to make the attack, remained some time at 
Crov» n Point, and, on the approach of winter, 
returned to Canada. 

General Washington, after having crossed the Hudson, con- 
tinued his retreat through New Jersey, and crossed the Dela> 
ware into Pennsylvania. The unfortunate operations of the 
war in this quarter spread a deep and general gloom over the 
American cause. The continental congress were, however, 
not discouraged by these misfortunes, and proceeded to draw 
up articles of confederation and perpetual union between the 
states. 

On the night of the 25th of December, general Washington 
recrossed the Delaware, and advanced to Trenton, where, on 
the following day, he surprised and made prisoners 1000 
Hessians, who were in the service of the enemy. After se- 
curing these prisoners on the Pennsylvania side of the Del- 
aware, he proceeded to Princeton, and attacked a detachment 
of the British, who had taken refuge in the college. Sixty of 
the enemy were killed, and three hundred taken prisoners. 

Sec. IX. 1777. The people of New York 
from the commencement of the war, and the 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 223 

consequent abolition of the legal authority, had 
been governed by the ordinances of the state 
convention and the directions of the council of 
safety. Early in the present year, they directed 
their attention to the more perfect organization 
of their internal police, and the establishment of 
civil government. 

A convention of delegates, elected and au- 
thorized for this purpose, assembled at Kingston 
on the 20th of April, and adopted the state con- 
stitution. George Clinton, esq. was, soon after, 
elected by the freeholders to the office of gov- 
ernor. 

The character of the constitution, adopted by this conven- 
tion, was republican; and, while it formed the original compact 
between the people and their rulers, it served as a declaration 
and bill of rights. By this constitution, the supreme executive 
power was vested in a governor, and a lieutenant-governor, who 
was to preside over the senate, and perform the duties of the 
supreme executive in case of any vacancy. The supreme 
legislative power was vested in the senate and house of as- 
sembly, who were to hold, at least, one session every year. The 
governor and members of the senate and house of assembly 
were to be elected by the freeholders of the state of New 
York 

The council of safety were directed by the convention to 
regulate the manner in which the first elections should be made, 
and were invested with all the powers necessary for the safety 
and preservation of the state, until a meeting of the legislature. 
The time appointed by the convention for the first meeting of 
this body was the 1st of July ; but, on account of the embar- 
rassment occasioned by the warlike operations in the country <, 
the time for this meeting was postponed, by several successive 
prorogations, to the 1st of September. 

Sec. X. A principal object of the British, 

in the campaign of the present year, was to open 



224 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

a communication between New York and 
Canada, and separate New England from the 
neighboring states. 

The plan of operations consisted of two parts. 
General Burgoyne, with the main body of the 
army from Canada, was to advance by way ol 
lake Champlain, and effect a junction, at Albany, 
with the royal army from New York. A detach- 
ment of British soldiers, and a large body of 
Indians under colonel St. Leger, with a regi- 
ment of New York loyalists under sir John 
Johnson, were to ascend the St. Lawrence to 
lake Ontario, and penetrate toward Albany by 
the way of the Mohawk river. 

Sec. XI. Early in the spring of the present 
year, several enterprises were undertaken by the i 
royal army in New York for the destruction of 
American stores. 

A detachment of about 500 landed at Peekskill, March 23, 
but, on the approach of an American force, fired the principal 
store-houses, and retired. Another detachment, of 2000, 
under general Tryon, proceeded, April 26th, to Danbury, in 
Connecticut, and, after destroying 18 houses, with large stores 
of provisions, were attacked by the Americans, and retired 
with considerable loss. 

In retaliation for these predatory excursions, an enterprise 
was soon after undertaken by the Americans against Long 
Island. Sagg Harbor was, May 23d, completely surprised, 
and 12 vessels, with forage for the use of the army, were de- 
stroyed. About 100 of the enemy were killed and taken 
prisoners, without the loss of a single man, by the Americans. 

Sec. XII. On the 30th of June, general 
Burgoyne, with an army of above 7000 men, 
exclusive of a corps of artillery, and a large 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 225 

body of Indians, advanced to Crown Point, and 
proceeded to invest Ticonderoga. General St. 
Clair, the American commander, abandoned the 
fortress on the 6th of July, and, after a laborious 
and distressing march, effected a junction with 
general Schuyler at fort Edward. 

The rear guard of the American army, under 
colonel Warner, consisting of above 1000 men, 
was overtaken and attacked at Hubbardton by 
a body of the enemy amounting to 850, under 
general Fraser. The Americans made an ob- 
stinate resistance, until a reinforcement of the 
enemy arrived, when they were completely rout- 
ed, with the loss of about 400 men killed and 
taken prisoners. 

The forces of general Schuyler at fort Edward, after the 
junction of St. Clair, did not amount to over 4400 men. Con- 
sidering the superior force of the enemy, it was resolved to 
evacuate this post ; and, accordingly, on the approach of 
Burgoyne, Schuyler retired over the Hudson to Saratoga. 

Sec. XIII. General Burgoyne arrived at fort 
Edward on the 30th of July. On the 3d of Au- 
gust, St. Leger, with a large detachment, invest- 
ed fort Schuyler,'^ under the command of general 
Gansevoort. On the approach of the royal 
forces, general Herkimer assembled the militia 
for the relief of the garrison, but fell into an 
ambuscade, and was defeated with great 
slaughter. 

The force under St. Leger, consisting of English, Germans, 
Canadians and American loyalists, amounted to about 800 
men. He was followed by a train of savages, with their 

* Formerly fort Stamoix, at the head of the Mohawk river. 



226 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

wives and children, thirsting indeed for carnage and plunder, 
but feeble auxiliaries in besieging fortresses. Colonel Gan- 
sevoort, on being summoned by the English, answered that 
he should defend himself to the last. Apprized of this state 
of things, and knowing the importance of this fort to the 
United States, general Herkimer, a leading man in the coun- 
ty of Try on, assembled the militia, and marched with all ex- 
pedition to the relief of Gansevoort. He sent an express 
from the camp of Erick, six miles from the fort, to inform 
him, that he was about to advance and make every exertion 
to effect his junction with the garrison. Gansevoort directed 
lieutenant-colonel Willet to make a sally upon the British lines, 
in order to favor the attempt of Herkimer ; but the English 
commander, perceiving how dangerous it was to receive the 
enemy in his intrenchments, and knowing full well how much 
better the Indians were adapted for the attack than for acting 
upon the defensive, detached colonel Johnson, with a part of 
the regular troops and the Indians, to intercept the Americans 
upon their approach. General Herkimer advanced wuth ex- 
treme negligence, without examination of his ground, without 
a reconnoitring party in front, and w ithout rangers upon his 
flanks — a thing the more surprising, as he could not have been 
ignorant how liable he WcPs to ambuscades from the nature of 
the country, and the singular adroitness of the savages in that 
mode of war. These barbarians soon found occasion to give 
him a sanguinary proof of it. They concealed themselves 
with a detachment of regulars in the woods near the road by 
which the Americans approached. The moment the column 
had passed, they suddenly fell upon the rear-guard with in- 
conceivable fury. After the first fire, the Indians rushed on 
with their spears and hatchets, and killed with the same cru- 
elty those who resisted and those who surrendered. The 
disorder became extreme ; the carnage was frightful ; and 
even the horrible aspect of the principal actors contributed to 
heighten the terrors of the scene. The Americans, however, 
recovered from their first surprise, and, forming themselves 
into a solid column, attained an advantageous ground, which 
enabled them to maintain a spirited resistance. They would, 
nevertheless, have been overborne by the number and fury of 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 227 

the enemy, if the intelligence of the attack upon his camp by 
colonel Willet had not induced him to retire. Four hundred 
Americans were slain, and among them general Herkimer. 
Many of the most distinguished men of the province, and 
several of the most considerable magistrates, shared the same 
fate. The royalists looked upon this success as a sure pledge 
of the approaching reduction of the rebels. Their victory, 
however, was not bought without blood. Besides a certain 
number of regulars, about 60 Indians were killed and wound- 
ed, among whom were several of their principal chiefs, and 
of their most distinguished and favorite warriors. It appears 
also, that, in the heat and confusion of the conflict, several 
savages were killed by the English themselves. Thus these 
intractable and undisciplined barbarians, by nature ferocious, 
and inclined to suspicion, irritated at finding a resistance to 
which they had not been accustomed, became still more re- 
fractory, and still more ruthless. They wreaked the first 
transports of their rage upon the unhappy prisoners, whom 
they inhumanly butchered in cold blood. Submission to 
European officers became insupportable to them, and they 
refused to obey. It was now perceived, that their presence 
was more prejudicial, and even more dangerous, than useful 
to the British army. 

Meanwhile colonel Willet had conducted his sally with 
great spirit and ability. He entered the enemy's camp at the 
first onset, killed a great number of his men, and drove the 
rest into the woods or into the river. But, his sole object 
being to make a diversion in favor of Herkimer, as soon as 
he had accomplished it, he returned into the fort, carrying 
with him, in triumph, the spoil and besieging utensils that he 
had taken from the enemy. The English were desirous of 
intercepting his retreat, and had prepared an ambuscade for 
the purpose, but his vigilance eluded the danger : he kept the 
assailants at a distance by a violent fire of musketry, and of 
artillery with grape-shot. He led back his whole corps with- 
out loss, and raised a trophy, composed of the conquered arms 
and baggage, under the American standard, which waved upon 
the walls of the fortress. He afterwards undertook, in com- 
pany with another officer, named Stockwell, a much more 



228 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

perilous expedition. They passed by night through the Eng- 
lish camp, and, in contempt of the danger and cruelty of the 
savages, made their way, for 50 miles, through pathless woods 
and unexplored morasses, in order to raise the country and 
bring relief to the fort : an action so magnanimous it is im- 
possible to commend too much. 

Colonel St. Leger left no means untried to profit by his 
victory, by intimidating the garrison. He sent verbal and 
written messages, stating their hopeless situation, the utter 
destruction of their friends, the impossibility of their obtaining 
relief, as general Burgoyne, after destroying every thing in 
his way, was now at Albany, receiving the submission of all the 
adjoining countries. After prodigiously magnifying his own 
force, as well as that of Burgoyne, he promised the Americans 
that, in case of an immediate surrender, they should be treated 
according to the practice of civilized nations : at the same 
time he declared, that if, through an incorrigible obstinacy, they 
should continue a hopeless and fruitless defence, not only the 
soldiers would fall victims to the fury of the savages, but that, 
however against his will, every man, woman and child, in the 
Mohawk country, would be massacred and scalped without 
mercy. 

Colonel Gansevoort replied, with great firmness, that he 
had been intrusted with the charge of the garrison by the 
United States of America ; that he should defend the trust 
committed to his care at every hazard, and to the utmost ex- 
tremity ; and that he neither thought himself accountable for, 
nor should he at all concern himself about, any consequences 
that attended the discharge of his duty. He had very judi- 
ciously conjectured, that, if the force of the British commander 
had been sufficient, he would have made a more simple sum- 
mons, or would have attacked the fort immediately, without 
wasting his time in drawing up so extraordinary a bravado. 
The British commander, finding that neither ambushes nor 
threats could effect his purpose, turned all his thoughts upon 
a regular siege. But he was not long in perceiving that the 
fort was stronger, and much better defended, than it had been 
reported. He also found, by experience, that his artillery 
was not sufficient in weight to make much impression at a 



^ REVOLUTIONARY WAR 229 

certain distance. The only remedy was, to bring his ap- 
proaches so near that they must take effect ; which he set 
about with the greatest diligence. But the savages, from the 
dissatisfaction they felt at their late losses, and from the dis- 
appointment of their hopes of plunder, became every day 
more sullen and ungovernable. The English commander was 
in continual apprehension that they would pillage his camp, 
and abandon the British standard. In this disagreeable situ- 
ation, he was informed that general Arnold was approaching, at 
the head of a strong detachment, to relieve the fort. It ap- 
pears that general Schuyler, upon intelligence that the fort 
which had taken his name was besieged, had despatched 
Arnold to its succor, with a brigade of regular troops com- 
manded by general Larned, which was afterwards reinforced 
by 1000 light-infantry, detached by general Gates. Arnold had 
advanced, with his usual celerity, up the Mohawk river ; but, 
before he had got half way, having learned that Gansevoort 
was hard pushed by the enemy, and knowing all the impor- 
tance of the expedition, he quitted the main body, and, with 
a light-armed detachment of only 900 men, set forward by 
forced marches towards the fortress. The Indians, who were 
incessantly upon the lookout, were soon informed of his ap- 
proach by their own scouts, or by the spies that were de- 
spatched by Arnold himself, who prodigiously exaggerated his 
strength. At the name of Arnold, and in their present temper, 
they were seized with terror and dismay. Other scouts ar- 
rived, immediately after, with a report, which probably grew 
out of the affair of Bennington, that Burgoyne's army was 
entirely cut to pieces. They would stay no longer, and 
assembled tumultuously, intending to abandon the camp. 
Colonel St. Leger endeavored to dissipate their terrors, and 
detain them, by promising to lead them himself, to bring all 
his best troops into action, and by carrying their leaders out 
to mark a field of battle, and the flattery of consulting them 
upon the intended plan of operation. Finally, the British com- 
mander called a council of their chiefs, hoping that, by the 
influence which colonel Johnson, and the superintendents, 
Claus and Butler, had over them, they might still be induced 
to make a stand. He was disappointed. A part of the sava- 

20 



230 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

ges decamped whilst the council was sitting, and the remain- 
der threatened peremptorily to abandon him if he did not 
immediately retire. The English were forced to comply with 
their demands. On the 22d of August, St. Leger raised the 
siege, and, making a precipitate retreat, returned to Montreal.* 

Sec. XIV. While the British army were 
encamped at fort Edward, a detachment, under 
colonel Baum, made an attempt to surprise the 
American stores collected at Bennington, on the 
New Hampshire grants. General Stark col- 
lected the militia, and, on the 26th of August, 
an obstinate engagement took place, in which 
the British were totally defeated. Their com- 
mander was mortally wounded, and about 600 
men were killed and taken prisoners. 

" General Stark, while on his march, with a body of New 
Hampshire militia, to join general Schuyler, receiving intelli- 
gence of Baum's approach, altered his movement, and 
collected his force at Bennington. This gallant officer, being 
joined, on the 16th, by a company of militia from the grants, 
and another from the county of Berkshire, in Massachusetts, 
and having now a collective force of about 1600 men, deter- 
mined to attack colonel Baum in his intrenchments. Having 
sent colonel Nichols, with 250 men, to the rear of the enemy's 
left wing, and colonel Hendrick, with 300, to the rear of their 
right, and placed 300 to oppose their front and draw their 
attention, he sent colonels Hubbard and Stickney with 200 
to attack the right wing, and 100 more to reinforce colonel 
Nichols. The attack began precisely at three o'clock in the 
afternoon. The several detachments seconded the onset, and 
colonel Stark advanced at the same time with the main body. 
The engagement lasted two hours ; but the German troops 
were, at length, obliged to abandon their breastworks, and 
retreat into the woods, leaving their commander mortally 
wounded on the field of battle. Lieutenant-colonel Breyman, 
whom Burgoyne had detached, with 500 Germans, to the a»- 

* Botta. 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 23l 

distance of colonel Baum, coming up just in time 'to join the 
fugitives, was vigorously attacked by the Americans, and, after 
havincr made a very gallant resistance, and expended all his 
ammunition, was obliged to retreat."* 

The affairs of fort Schuyler and Bennington gave a new 
aspect to the American cause. By these successes, the militia 
were inspired with greater confidence in themselves, and the 
inhabitants generally encouraged to take up arms for the de- 
fence of the country. The Americans had previously been 
much irritated by the severe treatment which their soldiers had 
received while prisoners of war in the power of the enemy .t 
The cruelties recently committed by the Indians under St. 
Leger and Burgoyne likewise powerfully contributed to excite 
the mass of the people, and stimulate them to rise against the 
English army with more than ordinary feelings of hostility. 
The savages appear to have been but little under the control 
of the English, and to have spared neither age, nor sex, nor 
opinions. The friends of the royal cause, as well as its ene- 
mies, were equally victims of their indiscriminate rage. The 
Americans abhorred and execrated an army which consented 
to act with such ferocious auxiliaries. Among other events, 
the murder of Miss M'Crea excited universal interest, and 
might furnish, if not too horrible, an affecting subject for the 
dramatic art. 

This young lady, of respectable family, and distinguished 
as well for her virtues as for the beauty of her person and 
the elegance of her manners, was betrothed to a Mr. Jones, an 
American refugee, who was an officer in the army of Burgoyne. 
Solicitous for a union with his intended spouse, Jones de- 
spatched a body of Indians to conduct her to the British 
camp. Notwithstanding the remonstrances of her friends, this 

* Holmes's Annals. 

t The American soldiers who were prisoners at New York were 
crowded into the holds of prison-ships, where they were almost suffo- 
cated for want of air, and into churches and sugar-houses, without cov- 
ering or fire. Their allowance of provisions and water for three days 
was insufficient for one ; and, in some instances, they were for four days 
entirely destitute of food. In consequence of this barbarous treatment, 
1500 men died in the course of a few weeks. (See Appendix JVo. 2.) 



232 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

lady committed herself to their charge. She proceeded on 
horseback, accompanied by the Indians, to a spring near the 
foot of a pine-tree on the west side of the road, and one 
mile north of fort Edward. Here they were met by another 
party of Indians, who had been despatched for the same pur 
pose. A quarrel ensued between the two parties in relation 
to the reward they were to receive, (a barrel of rum,) in the 
course of which, one of the savages, transported with brutal 
fury, raised his club, and laid this unfortunate young lady 
dead at his feet. She was found, soon after the contest, a short 
distance from the spring, tomahawked and scalped. 

General Burgoyne crossed the Hudson on the 14th of Sep- 
tember, and encamped on the heights and plains of Saratoga. 
General Gates, who had recently taken the command of the 
northern army, advanced towards the enemy, and encamp- 
ed three miles above Stillwater. On the night of the 17th, 
Burgoyne encamped within four miles of the American 
army. 

Sec. XV. On the 19th of September, gen- 
eral Burgoyne advanced upon the Americans, 
and a severe but indecisive engagement ensued. 
The contest v^as resolutely maintained for four 
hours, when, on the approach of night, the 
Americans withdrew from the field. The loss 
of the Americans was about 300 ; that of the 
enemy, about 600. 

" The right wing of the British was commanded by general 
Burgoyne, and covered by general Fraser and colonel Breyman, 
with the grenadiers and light-infantry, who were posted along 
some high grounds on the right. The front and flanks were 
covered by Indians, provincials and Canadians. The left wing 
and artillery were commanded by the major-generals Phillips 
and Reidesel, who proceeded along the great road. Colonel 
Morgan,who was detached to observe their motions, and to har- 
ass them as they advanced, soon fell in with their pickets in the 
front of their right wing, attacked them sharply, and drove them 
in. A strong corps was brought up to support them, and, after a 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 233 

■A 

severe encounter, Morgan was compelled to give way. A 
regiment was ordered to assist him, and the action became 
more general. The commanders on both sides supported and 
reinforced their respective parties ; and, about four o'clock, 
Arnold, with nine continental regiments and Morgan's corps, 
was completely engaged with the whole right wing of the 
British army. The Americans at length left the field ; not 
because they were conquered, but because the approach of 
night made a retreat to their camp necessary. Few actions 
have been more remarkable than this, for both vigor of attack 
and obstinacy of resistance." 

Sec. XVI. A second engagement took place 
on the 7th of October. The Americans con- 
ducted with great bravery, and obtained a decid- 
ed victory. The battle was obstinately contested 
till night put an end to the effusion of blood. 
The British lost, in killed and taken prisoners, 
about 400* men, amongst whom were several 
of their most valuable officers. The loss of the 
Americans was very inconsiderable. 

From the 20th of September to the 7th of October, the two 
armies continued so near each other, that not a night passed 
without some skirmishing, and several concerted attacks were 
made upon the British pickets. The royal army now began 
to suffer severely from the want of provisions, and Burgoync 
resolved, if possible, to dislodge the Americans from their 
posts on the left, and thus open a retreat to the lakes. For 
this purpose, on the 7th, 1500 men were drawn out, headed 
by himself, and assisted by generals Phillips, Reidesel and 
Fraser. The detachment had scarcely formed, when a furious 
attack was made on the left, which was sustained by major 
Ackland, at the head of the British grenadiers, with great 
firmness. The Americans soon extended their attack along 
the whole front of the German troops, who were posted on 
the right of the grenadiers, and marched a body round their 

* This is merely an estimate of the number. The statements as to 
the numbers killed in this engagement are much at variance. 
20* 



234 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

flank, to prevent their retreat. On this movement, the British 
hght-infantry, w^ith a part of the 24th regiment, instantly 
formed, to cover the retreat of the troops into the camp. 
Their left wing, in the mean time, overpowered with numbers, 
was obliged to retreat, and would inevitably have been cut to 
pieces, but for the intervention of the same troops which had 
just been covering the retreat of the right. 

The whole detachment was now under the necessity of 
retiring ; but scarcely had the British troops entered the lines, 
when the Americans, led by general Arnold, pressing forward 
under a tremendous fire of grape-shot and musketry, assaulted 
the works throughout their whole extent from right to left. 
Towards the close of the day, Arnold, with a few men, forced 
the intrenchments, and actually entered the works ; but, his 
horse being killed, and himself badly wounded in the leg, they 
were forced to retire. On the left of Arnold's detachment, a 
regiment under lieutenant-colonel Brooks was still more suc- 
cessful. It turned to the right, and carried, by storm, the 
works occupied by the German reserve. Lieutenant-colonel 
Breyman was killed, and Brooks maintained the ground he had 
gained. Among the slain of the enemy was general Fraser, 
an officer of distinguished merit, whose loss was particularly 
regretted. 

The force under general Gates was greatly augmented by 
the militia and volunteers, who were constantly pouring in 
from all quarters, and their commander vigilant in cutting off 
from the enemy every avenue of retreat. Fourteen hundred 
men 'Were posted opposite the ford of Saratoga ; two thousand 
in the rear, to prevent a retreat to fort Edward ; and fifteen 
hundred at a ford higher up. Burgoyne, apprehensive of being 
hemmed in, retired to Saratoga. The Americans, in the 
mean time, possessed themselves of fort Edward, and a detach- 
ment of five hundred men, under colonel Brown, surprised all 
the outposts of the enemy, from the north end of lake George 
to the body of the fortress at Ticonderoga. 

Sec. XVII. After several ineffectual attempts 
to retreat, general Burgoyne found himself com- 
pletely surrounded, without a possibility of es- 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 235 

caping. In this extremity, he entered into a 
convention with general Gates, and, on the 17th 
of October, the royal army, amounting to above 
5700 men, were surrendered prisoners of war. 
Soon after the surrender of Burgoyne, the gar- 
rison at Ticonderoga abandoned the fortress, 
and returned to Canada. 

The capture of an entire army was justly viewed as an event 
that must essentially affect the contest between Britain and 
America, and was received by the people with the highest 
demonstrations of joy. The intelligence of this event, proba- 
bly, gave a favorable issue to the negotiations then carried on 
with the French court, and which resulted, the following year, 
in obtaining from that government powerful aid in the prose- 
cution of the war. 

" Among the romantic incidents of real life, few surpass 
the adventures of the baroness de Reidesel and lady Harriet 
Ackland — two ladies who had followed the fortunes of their 
husbands, the baron de Reidesel and major Ackland, officers 
in the army of general Burgoyne, the latter of whom was 
wounded in the battle of the 9th of October. 

" ' On the 7th of October,' says the baroness de Reidesel, ' our 
misfortunes began. I was at breakfast with my husband, and 
heard that something was intended. On the same day, I ex- 
pected generals Burgoyne, Phillips and Fraser, to dine with us. 
I saw a great movement among the troops : my husband told 
me it was merely a reconnoissance, which gave me no concern, 
as it often happened. I walked out of the house, and met 
several Indians in their war-dresses, with guns in their hands. 
When I asked where they were going, they cried out, ' War ! 
war !' meaning that they were going to battle. This filled me 
with apprehension ; and I had scarcely got home, before I 
heard the reports of cannon and musketry, which grew louder 
by degrees, till at last the noise became excessive. 

" * About four o'clock in the afternoon, instead of the 
guests whom I expected, general Fraser was brought on a 
litter, mortally wounded. The table, which was already set. 



236 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

was removed, and a bed placed in its stead, for the wounded 
general. I sat trembling in a corner ; the noise grew louder, 
and the alarm increased ; the thought that my husband might 
be brought in wounded, in the same manner, was terrible to 
me, and distressed me exceedingly. General Fraser said to 
the surgeon, * Tell me if my wound is mortal ; do not flatter 
me.' The ball had passed through his body, and, unhappily 
for the general, he had eaten a very hearty breakfast, by which 
the stomach was distended, and the ball, as the surgeon said, 
had passed through it. 

" ' I heard him often exclaim, with a sigh, ' Oh fatal ambi- 
tion ! Poor General Burgoyne ! Oh' my poor wife !' He 
was asked if he had any request to make ; to which he replied : 
' If general Burgoyne would permit it, he should like to be 
buried at six o'clock in the evening, on the top of a mountain, 
in a redoubt which had been built there.' I did not know 
which way to turn ; all the other rooms were full of sick. 
Towards evening, I saw my husband coming ; then I forgot 
all my sorrows, and thanked God that he v»'as spared to m.e. 
He and his aid-de-camp ate, in great haste, with me, behind 
the house. We had been told, that we had the advantage of 
the enemy ; but the sorrowful faces I beheld told a different 
tale ; and, before my husband went away, he took me one side, 
and said every thing was going very bad ; that I must keep 
myself in readiness to leave the place, but not to mention it 
to any one. I made the pretence that I would move, the next 
morning, into my new house, Itnd had every thing packed up 
ready. 

" * Lady H. Ackland had a tent, not far from our house, in 
which she slept ; and the rest of the day she was in the camp. 
All of a sudden, a man came to tell her, that her husband was 
mortally wounded, and taken prisoner. On hearing this, she 
became very miserable. We comforted her, by telling her, that 
the wound was only slight, and, at the same time, advised her 
to go over to her husband, to do which she would certainly 
obtain permission, and then she could attend him herself She 
was a charming woman, and very fond of him. I spent much 
of the night in comforting her, and then went again to my 
children^ whom I had put to bed. I could not go to sleep, as 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 237 

I had general Fraser, and all the other wounaed gentlemen, in 
my room ; and I was sadly afraid my children would awake, 
and, by their crying, disturb the dying man in his last mo- 
ments, who often addressed me, and apologized ' for the 
trouble he gave me.' 

" ' About three o'clock in the morning, 1 was told that he 
could not hold out much longer. I had desired to be informed 
of the near approach of this sad crisis, and I then wrapped up 
mv children in their clothes, and went with them into the room 
below. — About eight o'clock in the morning, he died. After 
he was laid out, and his corpse wrapped up in a sheet, we came 
again into the room, and had this sorrowful sight before us 
the whole day ; and, to add to the melancholy scene, almost 
every moment, some officer of my acquaintance was brought 
in wounded. The cannonade commenced again ; a retreat 
Was spoken of, but not the smallest motion was made towards 
it. About four o'clock in the afternoon, I saw the house, 
which had just been built for me, in flames, and the enemy 
was not far off. We knew that general Burgoyne would not 
refuse the last request of general Fraser, though, by his ac- 
ceding to it, an unnecessary delay was occasioned, by which 
the inconvenience of the army was increased. 

" ' At six o'clock, the corpse was brought out, and we saw 
all the generals attend it to the mountain : the chaplain, Mr, 
Brudenell, performed the funeral service, rendered unusually 
solemn and awful, from its being accompanied by constant 
peals from the enemy's artillery. Many cannon balls flew 
close by me; but I had my eyes directed towards the moun- 
tain, where my husband was standing, amidst the fire of the 
enemy, and, of course, I could not think of my own danger. 

" ' General Gates afterwards said, that, if he had known it 
had been a funeral, he would not have permitted it to be 
fired on. 



(( < 



As soon as the funeral service was finished, and the 
grave of general Fraser was closed, an order was issued that 
the army should retreat. My calash was prepared, but I 
would not consent to go before the troops. Major Harnange, 
although sufledng from his wounds, crept from his bed, as he 



238 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

did not wish to remain in the hospital, which was left with a 
flag of truce. When general Reidesel saw me in the midst 
of danger, he ordered my women and children to be brought 
into the calash, and intimated to me to depart without delay. 
I still prayed to remain; but my husband, knowing my weak 
side, said, ' Well, then, your children must go, that, at least, 
they may be safe from danger.' I then agreed to enter the 
calash with them, and we set off at eight o'clock. The retreat 
was ordered to be conducted with the greatest silence. Many 
fires were lighted, and several tents left standing. We trav- 
elled continually during the night. 

" ' At six o'clock in the morning, we halted, which excited 
the surprise of all. General Burgoyne had the cannon rang- 
ed and prepared for battle. This delay seemed to displease 
every body ; for, if we could only have made another good 
march, we should have been in safety. My husband, quite 
exhausted with fatigue, came into my calash, and slept for 
three hours. During that time, captain Wilde brought me a 
bag full of bank notes, and captain Geisman his elegant 
watch, a ring, and a purse fall of money, which they request- 
ed me to take care of, and which I promised to do to the 
utmost of my power. We again marched, but had scarcely 
proceeded an hour before we halted, as the enemy was in 
sight. It proved to be only a reconnoitring party of 200 
men, ^who might easily have been made prisoners, if general 
Burgoyne had given proper orders on the occasion. 

" ' About evening, we arrived at Saratoga. My dress was 
wet through and through with rain, and in that state I had 
to -remain the whole night, having no place to change it. I, 
however, got close to a large fire, and, at last, lay down on 
some straw. At this moment, general Phillips came up to me, 
and I asked him why we had not continued our retreat, as 
my husband had promised to cover it, and bring the army 
through ? * Poor dear woman,' said he, ' I wonder how, 
drenched as you are, you have still the courage to persevere, 
and venture further in this kind of weather. I wish,' con- 
tinued he, 'you were our commanding general. General Bur- 
goyne is tired, and means to halt here to-night, and give us 
our supper.' 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 239 

" * On the morning of the ninth, at 10 o'clock, general 
Burgoyne ordered the retreat to be continued, and caused the 
handsome houses and mills of general Schuyler to be burnt 
We marched, however, but a short distance, and then halted. 
The greatest misery at this time prevailed in the army, and 
more than 30 officers came to me, for whom tea and coffee 
were prepared, and with whom I shared all my provisions, 
with which my calash was in general well supplied ; for I had 
a cook who was an excellent caterer, and who often, in the 
night, crossed small rivers, and foraged on the inhabitants, 
bringing in with him sheep, small pigs and poultry, for which 
he often forgot to pay, though he received good pay from me, 
as long as I had any ; and he was, ultimately, handsomely re- 
warded. Our provisions now failed us, for want of proper 
conduct in the commissary's department, and I began to 
despair. 

" ' About two o'clock in the afternoon, we again heard a 
firing of cannon and small arms. Instantly all was in alarm, 
and every thing in motion. My husband told me to go to a 
house not far off. I immediately seated myself in my calash, 
with my children, and drove off; but scarcely had we reached 
it, before I discovered five or six armed men, on the other 
side of the Hudson. Instinctively I threw my children down 
in the calash, and concealed myself with them. At that 
moment the fellows fired, and wounded an already wounded 
English soldier, who was behind me. Poor fellow ! I pitied 
him exceedingly, but, at that moment, had no power or means to 
relieve him. A terrible cannonade was commenced by the 
enemy, which was directed against the house in which I 
sought to obtain shelter for myself and children, under the 
mistaken idea that all the generals were in it. Alas ! it con- 
tained none but wounded and women. We were at last obliged 
to resort to the cellar for refuge, and in one corner of thi» 
I remained the whole day, my children sleeping on the earth, 
with their heads in my lap; and in the same situation I 
passed a sleepless night. Eleven cannon balls passed through 
the house, and we could distinctly hear them roll away. One 
poor soldier, who was lying on a table, for the purpose of 
having his leg amputated, was struck by a shot, which carried 



240 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

away his other leg. His comrades had left him, and, when 
we went to his assistance, we found him in a corner of the 
room, into which he had crept, more dead than alive, scarcely 
breathing. My reflections on the danger to which my husband 
was exposed now agonized me exceedingly, and the thoughts 
of my children, and the necessity of struggling for their pres- 
ervation, alone sustained me. 

" 'I now occupied myself through the day in attending to the 
wounded ; I made them tea and coffee, and often shared my 
dinner with them, for which they offered me a thousand ex- 
pressions of gratitude. One day, a Canadian officer came to 
our cellar, who had hardly the power of holding himself up- 
right, and we concluded he was dying for want of nourish- 
ment. I was happy in offering him my dinner, v/hich 
strengthened him, and procured me his friendship. I now 
undertook the care of major Bloomfield, another aid-de-camp 
of general Phillips, who had received a musket ball through 
both cheeks, which, in its course, had knocked out several of 
his teeth, and cut his tono-ue. He could hold nothina; in his 
mouth ; the matter which ran from his wound almost choked 
him, and he was not able to take any nourishment, except a 
iittle soup, or something liquid. We had some Rhenish wine ; 
and, in the hope that the acidity of it would cleanse the 
wound, I gave him a bottle of it : he took a little now and 
then, and with such effect, that his cure soon followed ; and 
thus I added another to my stock of friends, and derived a 
satisfaction, which, in the midst of sufferings, served to tran- 
quillize me, and diminish their acuteness. 

" * One day, general Phillips accompanied my husband, at 
the risk of their lives, on a visit to us, who, after having wit- 
nessed our situation, said to him, ' I would not, for ten 
thousand guineas, come again to this place; my heart is 
almost broken.' 

" ' In this horrid situation we remained six days. A ces- 
sation of hostilities was now spoken of, and eventually took 
place : a convention was afterwards agreed upon ; but one 
day a message was sent to my husband, who had visited me, 
and was reposing in my bed, to attend a council of \var, where 
it was proposed to break the convention ; but, to my great joy. 



m 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 241 

the majority were for adhering to it. On the 16th, however, 
my husband had to repair to his post, and I to my cellar. 
This day fresh beef was served out to the officers, who, until 
now, had only had salt provisions, which was very bad for 
their wounds. 

" *On the 17th of October, the convention was completed. 
General Burgoyne and the other generals waited on general 
Gates, the American commander. The troops laid down 
their arms, and gave themselves up prisoners of war ; and now 
the good woman, who had supplied us with water, at the 
hazard of her life, received the reward of her services ; each 
of us threw a handful of money into her apron, and she got 
altogether about 20 guineas. At such a moment as this, how 
susceptible is the heart of feelings of gratitude ! 

" ' My husband sent a message to me, to come over to him 
with my children. I seated myself once more in my dear 
. calash, and then rode through the American camp. As I 
passed on, I observed (and this was a great consolation to me) 
, that no one eyed me with looks of resentment, but that they 
all greeted us, and even showed compassion in their counte- 
nances, at the sight- of a woman with small children. I was, 
I confess, afraid to go over to the enemy, as it was quite a 
ilew situation to me. When I drew near the tents, a hand- 
some man approached and met me, took my children from the 
calash, and hugged and kissed them, which affected me almost 
to tears. * You tremble,' said he, addressing himself to me ; 
* be not afraid.' * No,' I answered, * you seem so kind and 
tender to my children, it inspires me with courage.' He now 
led me to the tent of general Gates, where I found generals 
Burgoyne and Phillips, who were on a friendly footing with the 
former. Burgoyne said to me, ' Never mind ; your sorrows 
have now an end.' I answered him, that I should be repre- 
hensible to have any cares, as he had none, and I was pleased 
to see him on such a friendly footing with general Gates. 
All the generals remained to dine with general Gates. 

" * The same gentleman, who received me so kindly, now 

came and said to me, * You will be very much embarrassed to 

eat with all these gentlemen ; come with your children to my 

I tent ; there I will prepare for you a frugal dinner, and give it 

21 



242 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

with a free will.' I said, * You are certainly a husband and a 
father, you have shown me so much kindness.' I now found 
that he was general Schuyler 1 He treated me with excellent 
smoked tongue, beef steaks, potatoes, and good bread and 
butter. Never could I have wished to eat a better dinner. T 
was content. I saw all around me M^ere so likewise ; and, 
what was better than all, my husband was out of danger. 

" ' When we had dined, he told me his residence was at 
Albany, and that general Burgoyne intended to honor him as 
his guest, and invited myself and children to do likewise. I 
asked my husband how I should act ; he told me to accept 
the invitation. As it was two days' journey there, he advised 
me to go to a place which was about three hours' ride distant. 
General Schuyler had the politeness to send with me a French 
officer, a very agreeable man, who commanded the recon- 
noitring party of which I have before spoken ; and when he 
had escorted me to the house, where I was to remain, he 
turned back again. In the house I found a French surgeon^ 
who had under his care a Brunswick officer, who was mortally 
wounded, and died some days afterwards. 

" ' The Frenchman boasted much of the care he took of 
his patient, and perhaps was skilful enough as a surgeon, but 
otherwise was a mere simpleton. He was rejoiced when he 
found I could speak his language, and he began to address 
many empty and impertinent speeches to me : he said, among 
other things, he could not believe that I was a general's wife, 
as he was certain a woman of such rank would not follow her 
husband. He wished me to remain with him, as he said it 
was better to be with the conquerors than the conquered. I 
was shocked at his impudence, but dared not show the con- 
tempt I felt for him, because it would deprive me of a place 
of safety. Towards evening he begged me to take a part of 
his chamber. I told him I was determined to remain in the 
room with the wounded officers ; whereupon he attempted to 
pay me some stupid compliments. At this moment the door 
opened, and my husband, with his aid-de-camp, entered. I 
then said, ' Here, sir, is my husband ;' and, at the same time, 
eyed him with scorn, whereupon he retired abashed ; neverthe^- 
less he was so polite as to offer his chamber to us. 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 243 

" * Some days after this we arrived at Albany, where we so 
often wished ourselves ; but we did not enter it as we expected 
we should, victors ! We were received by the good general 
Schuyler, his wife and daughters, not as enemies, '>ut kind 
friends; and they treated us with the most marked attention 
and politeness, as they did general Burgoyne, who had caused 
general Schuyler's beautifully finished house to be burnt. In 
fact, they behaved like persons of exalted minds, who deter- 
mined to bury all recollection of their own injuries in the 
contemplation of our misfortunes. General Burgoyne was 
struck with general Schuyler's generosity, and said to him, 

* You show me great kindness, although I have done you 
much injury.' ' That was the fate of war,' replied the brave 
man ; ' let us say no more about it.' "* 

" The fortunes of lady Harriet Ackland were not less in- 
teresting than those of the baroness de Reidesel, just recited. 

* This lady,' says general Burgoyne in his ' State of the Expedi- 
tion from Canada,' * had accompanied her husband to Canada, 
in the beginning of the year 1776. In the course of that 
campaign, she traversed a vast space of country, in different 
extremities of the season, and with difficulties of which a 
European traveller cannot easily conceive.' 

In the opening of the campaign, in 1777, she was restrain- 
ed from offering herself to a share of the fatigue and hazard 
expected before Ticonderoga, by the positive injunctions of 
her husband. The day after the conquest of the place, he was 
badly wounded, and she crossed lake Champlain to join him. 

As soon as he recovered, lady Harriet proceeded to follow 
his fortunes through the campaign ; and, at fort Edward or 
at the next camp, she acquired a two-wheel tumbril, which 
had been constructed by the artificers of the artillery, some- 
thing similar to the carriage used for the mail, upon the great 
roads in England. Major Ackland commanded the British 
grenadiers, which were attached to general Eraser's corps, 
and, consequently, were always the most advanced part of the 
army. They were often so much on the alert, that no person 
slept out of his clothes. One of their temporary encamp- 

* Wilkinson's Memoirs, from the Memoirs of the Baroness de Reidesel. 



244 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

ments, a tent in which the major and lady Harriet were asleep, 
suddenly took fire. An orderly-sergeant of grenadiers, with 
great hazard of suffocation, dragged out the first person he 
caught hold of. It proved to be the major. It happened that, 
in the same instant, she had, unknowing what she did, and 
perhaps not perfectly awaked, providentially made her escape, 
by creeping under the walls of the tent. The first object she 
saw, upon the recovery of her senses, was the major on the 
other side, and, in the same instant, again in the fire in search 
of her. The sergeant again saved him, but not without the 
major's being very severely burnt in his face, and different 
parts of his body. Every thing they had with them in the tent 
was consumed. 

This accident happened a little time before the army crossed 
the Hudson, 13th September. It neither altered the resolu- 
tion nor cheerfulness of lady Harriet ; and she continued her 
progress, a partaker of the fatigues of the advanced corps. 
The next call upon her fortitude was of a different nature, and 
more distressing, as of longer suspense. On the morning of 
the 19th of September, the grenadiers being liable to action 
at every step, she had been directed by the major to follow the 
route of the artillery and baggage, which were not expos- 
ed. At. the time the action began, she found herself near 
an uninhabited hut, where she alighted. When it was found 
the action was becoming general, the surgeon of the hospital 
took possession of the same place, as the most convenient for 
the first care of the wounded. Thus was this lady in the 
hearing of one continued fire of cannon and musketry for 
four hours together, with the presumption, from the post of 
her husband, at the head of the grenadiers, that he was in 
the most exposed part of the action. She had three female 
companions, the baroness de Reidesel, and the wives of two 
British officers, major Harnage, and lieutenant Reynell ; but, 
in the event, their presence served but little for comfort. Ma- 
jor Harnage was soon brought to the surgeon very badly 
wounded, and a little time after came intelligence that 
lieutenant Reynell was shot dead. Imagination will want 
no help to figure the state of the whole group. 

From the date of that action to the 7th rS October, lady 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 245 

Harriet, with her usual serenity, stood prepared for new trials ; 
and it was her lot that their severity increased with their num- 
ber. She was again exposed to the hearing of the whole 
action, and, at last, received the word of her individual mis- 
fortune, mixed with the intelligence of the general calamity ; 
the troops were defeated, and major Ackland, desperately 
wounded, was a prisoner. 

The day of the 8th was passed, by lady Harriet and her 
companions, in uncommon anxiety ; not a tent nor a shed being 
standing, except what belonged to the hospital, their refuge 
was among the wounded and the dying. 

" When the army was upon the point of moving, I received 
a message from lady Harriet, submitting to my decision a pro- 
posal, and expressing an earnest solicitude to execute it, if 
not interfering with my design, of passing to the camp of the 
enemy, and requesting general Gates' permission to attend her 
husband. 

" Though I was ready to believe, for I had experienced, 
that patience and fortitude, in a supreme* degree, were to be 
found, as well as every other virtue, under the most tender 
forms, I was astonished at the proposal. After so long an 
agitation, exhausted not only for want of rest, but absolutely 
want of food, drenched in rain for 12 hours together, that a 
woman should be capable of such an undertaking as deliver- 
ing herself to the enemy, probably in the night, and uncer- 
tain of what hands she might first fall into, appeared an effort 
above human nature. The assurance I was enabled to give was 
small indeed. I had not even a cup of wine to offer ; but I 
was told she found, from some kind and fortunate hand, a little 
rum and dirty water. All I could furnish to her was an open 
boat, and a few lines, written upon dirty and wet paper,' to 
general Gates, recommending her to his protection." This 
letter was as follows : — i 

Sir,— Lady Harriet Ackland, a lady of the first distinction 
by family, rank and personal virtues, is under such concern 
on account of major Ackland, her husband, wounded and a 
prisoner in your hands, that I cannot refuse her request to 
commit her to your protection. 
21 * 



246 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

Whatever general impropriety there may be, in persons act- 
ing in your situation and mine, to solicit favors, I cannot see 
the uncommon pre-eminence in every female grace and ex- 
altation of character in this lady, and her very hard fortune, 
witliout testifying that your attentions to her will lay me under 
obligations. 

I am, sir, . 

Oct. 9, 1777. Your obedient servant, 

M. G. Gates. J. Burgoyne. 

With this letter did this woman, who was of the most tender 
and delicate frame, habituated to all the soft elegancies and 
refined enjoyments, that attend high birth and fortune, and 
far advanced in a state in which the tenderest cares, always 
due to the sex, become indispensably necessary, in an open 
boat, leave the camp of Burgoyne, with a flag of truce, for 
that of the enemy. The night was advanced before the boat 
reached the shore. Lady Harriet was immediately conveyed 
into the apartment of major Henry Dearborn, since major- 
general, who commanded the guard at that place ; and every 
attention was paid her which her rank and situation demanded, 
and which circumstances permitted. Early in the morning, 
she was permitted to proceed in the boat to the camp, where 
general Gates, whose gallantry will not be denied, stood ready 
to receive her, with due respect and courtesy. Having ascer- 
tained that major Ackland had set out for Albany, lady Har- 
riet proceeded, by permission, to join him. Some time after, 
major Ackland effected his exchange, and returned to England. 
The catastrophe of this tale is affecting. Ackland, after his 
return to England, procured a regiment, and at a dinner of 
military men, where the courage of the Americans was made 
a question, took the negative side with his usual decision. 
He was opposed, warmth ensued, and he gave the lie direct 
to a lieutenant Lloyd, fought him, and was shot through the 
head. Lady Harriet lost her senses, and continued deranged 
two years ; after which she married Mr. Brudenell, who ac- 
companied her from general Burgoyne's camp, when she 
sought her wounded husband on Hudson river. 

Sec. XVIII. During the operations at Sara 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 247 

toga, sir Henry Clinton, with 3000 men, convoy- 
ed by several ships of war, proceeded up the 
Hudson, with the view of effecting a diversion 
in favor of Burgoyne. On the 6th of October, 
he made an attack upon forts Montgomery and 
Clinton. The attack was obstinately resisted 
during the day ; but, on the following evening, 
the works were carried at the point of the bay- 
onet. Most of the garrison escaped. 

Forts Independence and Constitution were, 
the next day, evacuated, and general Putnam, 
who had the command on the Hudson, retreated 
to Fishkill. General Tryon, the day following, 
burned Continental Village, where considerable 
stores were deposited. General Vaughan, with 
a strong detachment, proceeding up the river, 
devastated the settlements along its banks, burn- 
ed the village of Kingston, and then embarked 
for New York. 

Misfortune still continued to attend the operations of the 
southern department of the army. The Americans were de- 
feated at Brandywine, on the 11th of September, and Phila- 
delphia fell into the hands of the British. On the 4th of 
October, Washington attacked a body of the British troops at 
Germantown, but was repulsed with a loss of double that of 
the enemy. 

Sec. XIX. On the 9th of September, the 
first legislature under the new constitution as- 
sembled at Kingston, and proceeded to organize 
the government. After making some arrange- 
ments for the defence of the country, and 
appointing delegates to the general congress, 
I they adjourned on the 7th of October, having 



248 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

received intelligence of the approach of the 
enemy. 

The members present, at the opening of the first session 
of the senate, at Kingston, were Pierre Van Cortlandt, John 
Morris Scott, Philip Livingston, Abraham Yates, jr., William 
Floyd, William Smith, Alexander Webster, Dirick W. Ten 
Broeck, Levi Pawling, Jesse Woodhull, Zephaniah Piatt, 
Jonathan Loudon and Arthur Parks. Pierre Van Cortlandt, 
esq. was elected president. The delegates appointed to the 
general congress were Philip Livingston, James Duane, 
Francis Lewis, William Duer and Gouveneur Morris. 

The time appointed for this session to commence was the 
first of September ; but, on account of the disturbances oc- 
casioned by the military operations in the country, a number 
sufficient to transact business did not assemble until the ninth. 
During tlieir deliberations, members were frequently called 
pff to assist the military in defending the country, or attend 
to removing their families from the scene of action. 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 249 



CHAP. XIII. 

REVOLTTTIONARY WAR CONTINUED TO ITS 
TERMINATION. 

Legislative Proceedings, Revival of Controversy 
rekuive to the Grants, Treaty of Alliance ivith 
France, British Army concentrated at New 
York. French Fleet arrives. Campaign of 
1779. Operations at Stoney Point and Ver- 
planclhS, Expedition against the Indians, 
Campaign of 1780. Depredations of the royal 
Army, ArnohPs Treachery, Campaign of 
1781. Capture of Cormvallis, Tndepende7ice 
acknowledged, > British evacuate New York, and 
the Americans take Possession, Army disbanded. 

Sec. I. 1778. The legislature was assem- 
bled at Poughkeepsie, by proclamation of the 
governor, on the 15th of January, and the "ar- 
ticles of confederation and perpetual union 
between the United States of America," which 
had been drawn up by congress the preceding 
year, presented for their consideration. An act 
was passed, by which these articles were unani- 
mously approved, and the delegates from the 
state of New York authorized to ratify the same. 
They then proceeded to make provision for the 
better organization of the militia for the defence 
of the country, and to enact such laws as the 
general or local interests of the community were 
supposed to require. 



250 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

The termination of hostilities in the northern 
part of the state was attended by a revival of 
the controversy relative to the New Hampshire 
grants. Delegates from the inhabitants of the 
grants, having assembled at Westminster in Jan- 
uary, 1777, passed a resolution absolving all 
allegiance to the government of New York, and 
declaring that district an independent state, to 
be distinguished by the name of Vermont. 

They then enclosed a copy of the declaration to congress, 
with a petition that it might be received, that the district 
therein described might be ranked among the free and inde- 
pendent American states, and their delegates be admitted to 
a seat in congress. 

Application was also made, by the New York committee 
of safety, to congress, stating that, by the influence of cer- 
tain designing men, a part of the state had been prevailed on 
to revolt, and disavow the authority of its legislature, and 
requesting that body to discountenance these disorderly pro- 
ceedings. In another communication to congress, March 1st, 
they represent, " that they depend upon the justice of that 
honorable house, to adopt every wise and salutary expedient, 
to suppress the mischiefs that must ensue to that state, and to 
the general confederacy, from the unjust and pernicious pro- 
jects of such of the inhabitants of New York, as, merely from 
selfish and interested motives, have fomented this dangerous 
insurrection. 

Congress proceeded to act on these communications in 
June, and, after several adjournments, passed resolutions, 
disapproving of the proceedings of the inhabitants of the 
grants ; and their petition to be received as an independent 
state, and their delegates admitted to a seat in congress, was 
dismissed. The inhabitants of the grants, however, still per- 
sisted in their opposition to the government of New York, 
and proceeded to draw up a constitution for the new state, 
and to establish a regular form of government. 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 2cfl 

Sec. II. The success which had attended 
the Americans in the campaign of the preceding- 
year placed them on higher ground, and opened 
new resources to their view. The capture of 
Burgoyne laid the foundation for the acknowl- 
edgment of their independence abroad, and for 
acquiring the assistance of foreign nations. 

On the 6th of February, a treaty of commerce 
and alliance was concluded between the com- 
missioners of the United States and Louis XVI. 
of France. The arrival of a French fleet, early 
in July, with supplies of men and military stores, 
to cooperate against the enemy, gave powerful 
aid to the American cause. 

The commissioners in behalf of the United States had 
been, for more than a year, residing at Paris, to accomplish 
this important object. During this period, their prospects of 
success had constantly varied, according to the aspect of 
American affairs. The result of the American struggle was 
yet too doubtful for that country to embroil herself in war 
with Great Britain. The capture of the British army at Sara- 
toga gave indications of the ultimate triumph of the American 
arms, and decided the wavering policy of the French court. 

In the treaty of alliance it was declared, "that if war 
should break out between France and England during the 
existence of that with the United States, it should be made a 
common cause, and that neither of the contracting parties 
should conclude either truce or peace with Great Britain, 
without the formal consent of the other first obtained ; and 
they mutually engaged not to lay down their arms until the 
independence of the United States shall have been formally, 
or tacitly, assured by the treaty or treaties, that should termi- 
nate the war." 

Sec III. On receiving intelligence of the 
alliance of America with France, the British 



252 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

evacuated Philadelphia, and concentrated the 
royal army at New York. The Americans en- 
camped at White Plains, where they remained 
till late in autumn. The operations of the war 
in this quarter, the present year, were not at- 
tended with any important achievements. 

Upon the termination of the campaign of 1777, the British 
army had retired to winter quarters at Philadelphia, and the 
Americans at Valley Forge. On the 18th of June, the royal 
army crossed the Delaware into New Jersey, and continued 
their retreat towards New York. They were attacked by 
general Washington, at Monmouth, on the 28th, and a severe 
engagement ensued, in which the Americans obtained the 
advantage. Night only separated the two armies, and general 
Washington resolved, the next day, to renew the attack. About 
midnight, the British general drew off his troops with such 
perfect silence, that their escape was not discovered until 
morning, when the Americans declined the pursuit. The 
British made good their .retreat to New York, and the Amer- 
icans withdrew towards the Hudson. 

The French fleet, consisting of 12 ships of the line, and 6 
frigates, commanded by count D'Estaing, arrived off Newport, 
the 1st of July, to act in concert with the Americans in an 
attempt on Rhode Island, Lord Howe, at the same time, ar- 
rived with his fleet from New York ; and, instead of cooperat- 
ing with the Americans, D'Estaing went out to give him battle. 
A storm separated the fleets, and D'Estaing sailed for Boston 
to repair his vessels. Some skirmishing took place between the 
Americans and the British, but nothing decisive was effected. 
The siege of Newport was soon after raised, and the Ameri- 
cans retired. 

On the 28th of August, the British army made an excursion 
up the Hudson, moving in strong force on each side of the 
river. Receiving intelligence, that colonel Baylor, with a 
regiment of American cavalry, had taken quarters at Tappan, 
they devised a plan for cutting them off. A party, detached 
for this purpose under the command of general Gray, com- 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 253 

pletely surprised the whole regiment, as they lay asleep. Out 
of 104 privates, 67 were killed, wounded and taken prisoners. 

The attempts of the British had, thus far, been directed 
chiefly against the Northern States, They now formed the plan 
of invading the Southern States, and that quarter became the 
principal theatre of their offensive operations. In November, 
sir Henry Clinton sent a squadron, with about 2000 men, to 
Georgia. After an engagement, in which the British were 
victorious, Savannah, the capital, and with it the state of 
Georgia itself, fell into the hands of the enemy. 

Sec. IV. 1779. In the campaign of the 
present year, nothing decisive was effected. 
The British attempted no enterprise of any im- 
portance, and appear to have aimed at little 
more than to plunder and devastate the unpro- 
tected sections of the country. In these preda- 
tory incursions, many acts of cruelty were 
committed upon the inhabitants, and an immense 
amount of public and private property destroyed. 
While the enemy were committing these depre- 
dations, the main body of the American army 
was concentrated near West Point, for the pro- 
tection of that important fortress. 

In May, a naval and land force, commanded by sir George 
Collier and general Matthews, made a descent upon Virginia, 
and made extensive depredations in the vicinity of Norfolk. 
A similar force was sent, under governor Tryon, to ravage the 
sea-board of Connecticut. New Haven was plundered ; East 
Haven, Fairfield, Norwalk and Green Farms were wantonly 
destroyed. At New Haven, an aged citizen, who labored 
under a natural inability to speak, had his tongue cut out by 
one of the royal army. Women were insulted, abused and 
threatened, while their apparel was taken from them. Even 
an infant was robbed of its clothing, while a bayonet was 
pointed at the breast of its mother. 
22 



254 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

Sec. v. In the spring of the present year, 
the Americans had commenced the construction 
of strong works at Verplanck's Neck and Stoney 
Point, situated on nearly opposite points of land, 
the first on the east, the other on the west side 
of the Hudson. These positions being of great 
importance to the Americans, in keeping open 
an easy communication between the Northern 
and Southern States, general Clinton resolved 
upon their seizure, which he successfully exe- 
cuted on the oOth of May. 

Commodore Collier conducted the squadron that ascended 
the river, general Vaughan the column of the right, which 
landed on the eastern bank, a little below Verplanck's, and 
Clinton, in person, the column of the left, which he disem- 
barked on the western bank below Stoney Point. The 
Americans, finding the enemy so near, and not being prepared 
to receive him, evacuated Stoney Point, where they were soon 
replaced by the royal troops. 

At Verplanck's the Americans resolved to resist, and had 
erected on this point a sTiiall, but strong and complete work, 
fort la Fayette, which was defended by artillery and a small 
garrison. It was, however, unfortunately commanded by the 
heights of Strney Point, upon which the English, by their 
exertions during the night, had planted a battery of heavy 
cannon, and another of mortars. Early on the following 
morning, they opened a tempest of fire upon fort la Fayette. 
The attack was supported in front by commodore Collier, who 
advanced with his galleys and gun-boats within reach of the 
fort ; and general Vaughan, having made a circuit through 
the hills, at length arrived, and closely invested it on the land 
side. The garrison, seeing all possibility of relief now cut 
off, and their fire totally overwhelmed and lost in the magni- 
tude of that which they received, surrendered at discretion 
on the following morning. General Clinton gave directions 
for completing the works at Stoney Point, and, to cover these 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 255 

operations, encamped his army at Philipsburgh, about half 
way between Verplanck's and New York.* 

Sec. VI. When it was ascertained, that the 
British had put the posts at Verplanck's and Sto- 
ney Point in the highest state of defence, gen- 
eral Washington formed the design of recovering 
them from the possession of the enemy. Stoney 
Point, now plentifully supplied with all the mu- 
nitions of war, and garrisoned by about 600 
men, was carried by direct assault on the 16th 
of July. The reduction of this fortress was one 
of the most bold and daring enterprises which 
occurred during the war. 

General Washington resolved to attempt the surprise of 
Stoney Point by attacking the works on the right and left 
flanks at the same instant, and intrusted the execution of this 
plan to general Wayne. The troops destined for this enter- 
prise were assembled on the loth at Sandy Beach, 14 miles 
from Stoney Point. They moved off at noon, and, having 
accomplished their march over high mountains, through deep 
morasses, difficult defiles, and roads extremely bad and narrow, 
arrived, about eight o'clock in the evening, within a mile of 
the enemy- 
General Wayne then halted to reconnoitre the works, and 
observe the state of the garrison. The English, however, did 
not perceive him. He formed his corps in two columns, and 
put himself at the head of the right. It was preceded by a 
vanguard of 150 picked men, commanded by a brave and 
adventurous Frenchman, lieutenant-colonel Fleury. This 
vanguard was guided by a forlorn hope of about 20, led by 
lieutenant Gibbon. The column on the left, conducted by 
major Stewart, had a similar vanguard, also preceded by a 
forlorn hope under lieutenant Knox. These forlorn hopes, 
among other offices, were particularly intended to remove the 
abattis and other obstructions, which lay in the way of the 

* Botta. 



¥ 



256 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

succeeding troops. General Wayne directed both columns to 
march in order and silence, with unloaded muskets and fixed 
bayonets. 

At midnight, they arrived under the walls of the fort. The 
two columns attacked upon the flanks, while major Murfee 
engaged the attention of the garrison by a feint in front. An 
unexpected obstacle presented itself; the deep mOrass which 
covered the works was, at this time, overflowed by the tide. 
The English opened a most tremendous fire of musketry, and 
of cannon loaded with grape-shot ; but neither the inundated 
morass, nor a double palisade, nor the bastioned ramparts, nor 
the storm of fire that was poured from them, could arrest the 
impetuosity of the Americans ; they opened their w^ay with 
the bayonet, prostrated whatever opposed them, scaled the 
fort, and the two columns met in the centre of the works. 

General Wayne received a contusion in the head, by a 
musket ball, as he passed the last abattis. Colonel Fleury 
struck with his own hand the royal standard that waved upon 
the walls. Of , the forlorn hope of Gibbon, 17 out of 20 per- 
ished in the attack. The English lost upwards of GOO men 
in killed and prisoners. The Americans abstained from pil- 
lage and all disorder; a conduct the more worthy to be com- 
mended, as they had still fresh in mind the ravages and 
butcheries, which the enemy had so recently committed in 
Connecticut and Virginia. Humanity imparted new efful- 
gence to the victory which valor had obtained.* 

The enterprise against Verplanck's was intrusted to general 
Howe, and miscarried for the want of artillery, and imple- 
ments for the construction of bridges, by which only the place 
was approachable. Intelligence was, in the mean time, re- 
ceived of the approach of a large body of the enemy, and 
the Americans, not deeming it safe to hazard a battle, after 
bringing off" the artillery and stores of the fort at Stoney 
Point, with the garrison, dismantled the fortifications, and 
retired. 

Sec. VII. The Americans were imboldened 

by the success of the enterprise against Stoney 

_^ t» 

^ Botta 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 257 

Point, and continued frequently to harass the 
outposts of the royal army. Major Lee, on the 
19th of July, completely surprised the British 
c^arrison at Paulus Hook. He attacked the 
place with a detachment of about 300, and, with 
the loss of only two men, brought off 159 pris- 
oners. 

Sec. VIII. At an early period of the war, 
exertions were made by the Americans to pre- 
vent the Indians from engaging in the contest. 
For this purpose, commissioners were appointed 
to hold a conference with the Six Nations, and 
other northern tribes. In July, 1775, a treaty 
was concluded by general Schuyler, on the part 
of congress, with the Six Nations, in which they 
engaged to observe a strict neutrality between 
the contending parties. They were, however, 
afterwards induced, by the solicitations and pres- 
ents of the enemy, to take up the tomahawk 
on the side of the British, and the frontiers 
were again exposed to all the depredations and 
horrors incident to Indian warfare. 

In the campaign of 1778, the savages took a very active 
part. In July, a large body of Indians and tories made an 
irruption into Wyoming, situated on both sides of the Sua- 
quehannah, in the northern part of Pennsylvania. This 
flourishing settlement was utterly destroyed, and its destruc- 
tion attended by circumstances of horrible cruelty and devas- 
tation. The district ccftitained 1100 families, and furnished 
1000 soldiers for the continental army, besides garrisons for 
its own forts. While a large proportion of the inhabitants 
were devotedly attached to the American cause, a considera- 
ble number still adhered to the British. Some of the tories, 
having experienced severity, in consequence of their attempts 
22* 



258 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

to promote the royal cause, were induced to take refuge 
among the Indians, or at the British posts. They were fol- 
lowed by others, who had been expelled from the colony. 
As their numbers increased, their hatred became continually 
more and more rancorous. The tories swore revenge ; they 
coalesced with the Indians. The time was favorable, as the 
youth of Wyoming were in the army. In order the better to 
secure success, and to surprise their enemies before they 
should think of standing upon their defence, they resorted to 
artifice. They pretended the most friendly dispositions, while 
they meditated only war and vengeance. 

A few weeks before they purposed to execute their horrible, 
enterprise, they sent several messengers, charged with protes- 
tations of their earnest desire to cultivate peace. These 
perfidies lulled the inhabitants of Wyoming into a deceitful 
security, while they procured the tories and savages the means 
of concerting with their partisans, and of observing the im- 
mediate state of the colony. Notwithstanding the solemn 
assurances of the Indians, the colonists, as it often happens 
when great calamities are about to fall on a people, seemed to 
have a .sort of presentiment of their approaching fate. They 
wrote to Washington, praying him to send them immediate 
assistance. Their despatches did not reach him ; they were 
intercepted by the Pennsylvanian loyalists ; and they would, 
besides, have arrived too late. The savages had already made 
their appearance upon the frontiers of the colony ; the plun- 
der they had made there was of little importance, but the 
cruelties they had perpetrated were affrightful ; the mournful 
prelude of those more terrible scenes which were shortly to 
follow. 

About the commencement of the month of July, the Indians 
suddenly appeared in force upon the banks of the Susque- 
hannah. They were headed by John Butler and colonel 
Brandt, a half blood, with other chiefs distinguished by their 
extreme ferocity in the preceding expeditions. This troop 
amounted in all to 1600 men, of whom less than a fourth 
were Indians, and the rest tories, disguised and painted to 
resemble them. The officers, however, wore the uniforms of 
their rank, and had the appearance of regulars. The colonists 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 269 

of Wyoming, finding their friends so remote, and their ene- 
mies so near, had constructed, for their security, four forts, 
in which, and upon different points of the frontier, they had 
distributed about 500 men. The M^hole colony was placed 
under the command of Zebulon Butler, cousin of John, a 
man who, with some courage, was totally devoid of capacity. 
He was even accused of treachery ; but this imputation is not 
proved. It is at least certain, that one of the forts, which 
stood nearest to the frontiers, was intrusted to soldiers infected 
with the opinions of the tories, and who gave it up, without 
resistance, at the first approach of the enemy. The second, 
on being vigorously assaulted, surrendered at discretion. The 
savages spared, it is true,'the women and children, but butch- 
ered all the rest without exception. Zebulon then withdrew, 
with all his people, into the principal fort, called Kirigston, 
The old men, the women, the children, the sick, in a word, 
all that w ere unable to bear arms, repaired thither in throngs, 
and uttering lamentable cries, as to the last refuge where any 
hope of safety remained. The position was susceptible of de- 
fence ; and, if Zebulon had held firm, he might have hoped to 
withstand the enemy until the arrival of succors. But John 
Butler was lavish of promises in order to draw him out, in 
which he succeeded, by persuading him that, if he would 
consent to a parley in the open field, the siege would soon be 
raised, and every thing accommodated. John retired, in fact, 
with all his corps ; Zebulon afterwards marched out to the 
place appointed for the conference, at a considerable distance 
from the fort ■. from motives of caution, he took with him 400 
men well armed, being nearly the w^hole strength of his gar- 
rison. If this step was not dictated by treachery, it must, at 
least, be attributed to a very strange simplicity. Having come 
to the spot agreed on, Zebulon found no living being there. 
Reluctant to return without an interview, he advanced towards 
the foot of a mountain, at a still greater distance from the 
fort, hoping he might there find some person to confer with. 
The farther he proceeded in this dismal solitude, the more he 
had occasion to remark that no token appeared of the pres- 
ence or vicinity of human creatures. But, far from halting, 
as if impelled by an irresistible destiny, he continued his 



260 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

march. The country, meanwhile, began to be overshaded by 
thick forests : at length, in a winding path, he perceived a 
flasf, which seemed to wave him on. The individual who bore 
it, as if afraid of treachery from his side, retired as he ad- 
vanced, still making the same signals. But already the 
Indians, w'ho knew the country, profiting by the obscurity of 
the woods, had completely surrounded him. The unfortunate 
American, w'ithout suspicion of the peril he w^as in, continued 
to press forward, in order to assure the traitors that he would 
not betray them. He was awakened but too soon from this 
dream of security : in an instant the savages sprung from 
their ambush, and fell upon him with hideous yells. 

He formed his little troop into a compact column, and 
showed more presence of mind in danger than he had mani- 
fested in the negotiations. Though surprised, the Americans 
exhibited such vigor and resolution that the advantage was 
rather on their side ; when a soldier, either through treachery 
or cowardice, cried out aloud, " The colonel has ordered a 
retreat." The Americans immediately break, the savages 
leap in among the ranks, and a horrible carnage ensues. The 
fugitives fall by missiles, the resisting by clubs and tomahawks. 
The wounded overturn those that are not, the dead and the 
dying are heaped together promiscuously. Happy those who 
expire the soonest ! The savages reserve the living for tor- 
tures! and the infuriate tories, if other arms fail them, mangle 
the prisoners with their nails ! Never was rout s^'^S&plorable ; 
never was massacre accompanied with so ma^iy horrors. 
Nearly all the Americans perished ; about 60 escaped from 
the butchery, and, with Zebulon, made their w^ay good to a 
redoubt upon the other bank of the Susquehannah. 

The conquerors invested Kingston anew, and, to dismay the 
relics of the garrison by the most execrable spectacle, they 
hurled into the place above 200 scalps, still reeking with the 
blood of their slaughtered brethren. Colonel Dennison, who 
commanded the fort, seeing the impossibility of defence, sent 
out a flag to inquire of Butler what terms would be allowed 
the garrison, on surrendering the fort. He answered, with 
all the fellness of his inhuman character, and in a single 
word — the " hatchet." Reduced to this dreadful extremity^ 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 261 

the colonel still made what resistance he could. At lengthy 
having lost almost all his soldiers, he surrendered at discretion. 
The savages entered the fort, and began to drag out the van- 
quished, who, knowing the hands they were in, expected no 
mercy. But, impatient of the tedious process of murder in 
detail, the barbarians afterwards bethought themselves of en- 
closing the men, women and children promiscuously in the 
houses and barracks, to which they set fire, and consumed all 
within, listening, delighted, to the moans and shrieks of the 
expiring multitude. 

The fort of Wilkesbarre still remained in the power of the 
colonists of Wyoming. The victors presented themselves 
before it ; those within, hoping to find mercy, surrendered at 
discretion, and without resistance. But if opposition exasper- 
ated these ferocious men, or ratlier these tigers, insatiable of 
human blood, submission did not soften them. Their rage 
was principally exercised upon the soldiers of the garrison ; 
all of whom they put to death, with a barbarity ingenious in 
tortures. As for the rest, men, women and children, who 
appeared to them not to merit any special attention, they 
burned them as before, in the houses and barracks. The 
forts being fallen into their hands, the barbarians proceeded 
without obstacle to the devastation of the country. They 
employed, at once, fire, sword, and all instruments of de- 
struction. The crops, of every description, were consigned 
to the flames. The habitations, granaries, and other con- 
structions, the fruit of years of human industry, sunk in 
ruin under the destructive strokes of these cannibals. But 
who will believe that their fury, not yet satiated upon human 
creatures, was also wreaked upon the very beasts? that 
they cut out the tongues of the horses and cattle, and left 
them to wander in the midst of those fields lately so luxuriant, 
and now in desolation, seeming to enjoy the torments of their 
lingering death? 

Several other instances of horrible cruelty we shall relate. 
Captain Bedlock, having been stripped naked, the savages 
stuck sharp pine splinters into all parts of his body ; and then, 
a heap of knots of the same wood being piled round him, the 
whole was set on fire, and his two companions, the captains 



^62 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

Ranson and Durgee, thrown alive into the flames. The tories 
appeared to vie with, and even to surpass, the savages in bar- 
barity. One of them, whose mother had married a second 
husband, butchered her with his own hand, and afterwards 
massacred his father-in-law, his own sisters, and their infants 
in the cradle. Another killed his own father, and extermina- 
ted all his family. A third imbrued his hands in the blood of 
liis brothers, his sisters, his brother-in-law and his father-in- 
law. 

These were a part only of the horrors perpetrated by the 
loyalists and .Indians at the excision of Wyoming. Other 
atrocities, if possible, still more abominable, we leave in 
silence. 

Those who had survived the massacres were no less worthy 
of commiseration ; they were women and children, who had 
escaped to the woods at the time their husbands and fathers 
expired under the blows of the barbarians. Dispersed and 
wandering in the forests, as chance and fear directed their 
steps, without clothes, without food, without guide, these de- 
fenceless fugitives suffered every degree of distress. Several 
of the women were delivered alone in the woods, at a great 
distance from every possibility of relief The most robust 
apd resolute alone escaped ; the others perished. Their bodies 
and those of their hapless infants became the prey of wild 
beasts. Thus the most flourishing colony then existing in 
America was totally erased.* 

Soon after the destruction of Wyoming, a body of 500 
men, consisting of regulars, tories and Indians, made a de- 
scent upon Cherry Valley. Colonel Alden, who had been 
posted there w^th a continental regiment, while quartering 
with his family some distance from the fort, was surprised and 
killed with several of his officers and soldiers. After an ineffec- 
tual attack upon the fort, they desolated the settlement, and 
retired. The most shocking cruelties were committed. After 
killing the inhabitants, they ripped open and quartered the 
bodies, and then suspended the mangled limbs on the branches 
of the trees. Infants were taken from the breasts of their 
mothers, and their brains dashed out against posts. 

* Botta. 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 263 

Sec. IX. In consequence of the depredations 
of the Indians, several expeditions were, during 
the present year (1779), conducted against them. 
Colonel Van Shaick marched from fort Schuyler, 
in April, with 55 men, and burned the whole 
Onondaga settlement, consisting of about 50 
houses, without the loss of a single man ; a con- 
siderable number of the Indians were killed and 
taken prisoners. 

In August, an expedition was conducted chiefly 
against the Senecas, who had their principal 
stations on the banks of the Genesee. General 
Sullivan, with 3000 men, ascended the Susque- 
hannah to Tioga Point, where he was met by 
general Clinton, who, with above 1000, had 
marched from the Mohawk by the way of Cher- 
ry Valley. Uniting their forces, they proceeded 
against the Senecas. The enterprise was suc- 
cessful ; the Indians were totally routed in an 
engagement near Newton on the Tioga river, 
and their settlements laid waste. 

The Indians, on hearing of the projected expedition, took 
possession of an elevated ground, and fortified it with judg- 
ment. General Sullivan commenced a cannonade against 
them in their works, which they sustained for more than two 
hours. They at length gave way, and, when their trenches 
were forced, fled with precipitation. The victorious army 
penetrated into the very heart of their country, and laid it 
desolate. Their villages, with their detached habitations, 
their corn-fields, fruit-trees, and gardens, were indiscriminately 
destroyed.* 

Different parts of the state suffered severely from the dep- 
redations of detached parties of Indians. In July, a party of 

* Holmes's Annals. 



264 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

Indians, with some white men, under Brandt, burned the 
Minisink settlement, and made several prisoners. In August, 
the Indians, with their tory associates, destroyed the settle- 
ments at Canajoharie, and burned a number of houses at 
Schoharie and Norman's creek. 

In October, these irruptions were renewed. Stone Arabia 
and several other places were attacked, and Schoharie afresh. 
A great extent of country about the Mohawk was laid waste, 
and many of the settlers were killed or made prisoners. 

Much public, as well as private embarrassment, was at this 
period experienced from the depreciation of the bills of credit. 
Congress had emitted these bills to an immense amount, 
which was not a little increased by the enemy, who counter- 
feited the bills, and circulated their forgeries among the states. 
This depreciation continued to increase, until the bills of 
credit, or the " continental currency," as it was called, became 
of little or no value. 

Sec. X. 1780. The British continued to 
occupy their posts in the city of New York and 
its vicinity ; but no important enterprises were 
effected in this quarter. During the present and 
the succeeding year, the operations of the war 
were conducted chiefly in the Southern States, 
and were attended with various success. 

Towards the close of the campaign of 1779, sir Henry 
Clinton embarked, with a force of above 7000 men, for the 
reduction of Charleston in South Carolina, which fell into the 
hands of the enemy on the 12th of May, 1780. General 
Gates was, soon after, appointed to command the southern 
division of the American army, and, on the 16th of August, 
came in contact with the British, under lord Cornwallis, at 
Camden. A sanguinary conflict ensued, in which the British 
were victorious. 

A detachment of the enemy, consisting of 5000 men from 
the northern division, under general Kniphausen, made an 
incursion into New Jersey, in June, plundered the country, 
and wantonly burned several villages. The spirits of the 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 265 

Americans, in the midst of these misfortunes, were revived by 
the arrival of M. de Ternay from France, early in July, with 
a squadron of seven sail of the line, five frigates, and five 
smaller armed vessels, with several transports, and a reinforce- 
ment of 6000 men, all under the command of lieutenant-gen- 
eral count de Rochambeau. 

Sec. XI. A remarkable instance of treachery 
occurred the present year in the northern divis- 
ion of the American army. General Arnold, 
having solicited and obtained the command of 
West Point, entered into negotiations with sir 
Henry Clinton to deliver that important fortress 
into the hands of the enemy. The plot was, 
however, fortunately discovered seasonably to 
prevent its execution. Arnold escaped to the 
enemy, and Andre, the agent of the British, was 
taken, condemned and executed as a spy. 

To facilitate the correspondence, a vessel, the Vulture, 
proceeded up the Hudson, and took a station as near West 
Point as practicable, without exciting suspicion. On the 
night of September the 21st, Andre went on shore in a boat, 
which was sent for him, and met Arnold at the beach. They 
remained here until it was too late for Andre to return to the 
Vulture, when Arnold conducted him within the American 
lines for concealment. During the ensuing day, the Vulture 
found it necessary to change her position, and Andre, being 
unable to get on board, attempted to return to New York, in 
disguise, by land. 

Receiving a passport from Arnold, under the name of An- 
derson, he passed the guards and outposts without suspicion. 
At Tarrytown, 30 miles from New York, he was met by three 
militia soldiers, — John Paulding, David Williams and Isaac 
Van Wert. Showing his passport, he was suffered to proceed. 
Immediately after this, one of these men, thinking that he 
observed something singular in the appearance of the travel- 
ler, called him back. Andre asked them where they were 
23 



266 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

from. " From down below," they replied, intending to say 
from New York. Too frank to suspect a snare, Andre im- 
mediately answered, "and so am I." 

Andre was immediately arrested, when he declared himself 
a British officer, and offered them his watch and a sum of 
gold to be released. The soldiers, though poor and obscure, 
were not to be bribed. They rejected his offers, and, on 
searching their prisoner, found in his boots several papers 
written by the hand of Arnold himself, containing the most 
detailed information with respect to the positions of the ' 
Americans, their munitions, the garrison of West Point, and 
the most suitable mode of directing an attack against that 
fortress. Major Andre was conducted before the officer who 
commanded the advanced posts. Afraid of hurting Arnold 
by an immediate disclosure of his true character, and braving 
the danger of being instantly put to death as a spy, if it 
should be discovered that he had concealed his real name, he 
persisted in affirming that he was Anderson, as indicated by 
his passport. The American officer was at a loss vi^hat to 
decide ; he could not persuade himself that his general, after 
having so often shed his blood for the country, was now re- 
solved to betray it. These hesitations, the negations of An- 
dre, the distance* at which Washington, and even Arnold, 
found themselves, gave the latter time to escape. As soon 
as he heard that Andre was arrested, he threw himself into a 
boat, and hastened on board the Vulture. The news of this 
event excited universal amazement. The people could scarce- 
ly credit the treachery of a man, in whom they had so long 
placed the utmost confidence. The peril they had run filled 
them with consternation ; the happy chance which had res- 
cued them from it appeared a prodigy. 

When major Andre, from the time elapsed, could infer that 
Arnold must be in safety, he revealed his name and rank^ 
He appeared less solicitous about his safety, than to prove that 
he was neither an impostor nor a spy. He endeavored to 
refute the appearances which seemed to depose against him. 
He affirmed that his intention had been merely to come and 

* Washington had, at this time, gone to Hartford to hold a conference 
with count de Rochambeau. 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 267 

confer, upon neutral ground, with a person designated by his 
general ; but that thence he had been trepanned and drawn 
within the American lines. From that moment, he added, 
none of his steps could be imputed to his default, since he 
then found himself in the power of others. Washington, 
meanwhile, having returned, created a court-martial ; among 
its members, besides many of the most distinguished Ameri- 
can officers, were the marquis de la Fayette and the baron de 
Steuben. Major Andre appeared before his judges; they 
were specially charged to investigate and define the nature of 
the offence, and the punishment it involved, according to the 
laws of war. The demeanor of the young Englishman was 
equally remote from arrogance and from meanness. His 
blooming years, the ingenuous cast of his features, the mild 
eleo-ance of his manners, had conciliated him an interest 
in every heart. 

In the meantime, Arnold, being safely arrived on board the 
Vulture, immediately wrote a letter to Washington. He im- 
pudently declared in it that it was the same patriotism, of 
which he had never ceased to give proofs since the origin of 
the contest, which had now prescribe' 1 him his present step, 
whatever men might think of it, always so ill judges of the 
actions of others. He added, that he asked nothing for him- 
self, having already but too much experience of the ingrati- 
tude of his country, but that he prayed and conjured the 
commander-in-chief to have the goodness to preserve his 
%vife from the insults of an irritated people, by sending her 
to Philadelphia, among her friends, or by permitting her to 
come and rejoin him at New York. This letter was followed 
by a despatch from colonel Robinson, likewise dated on 
board the Vulture. He earnestly demanded that major Andre 
should be released, urging in his defence that he had gone 
ashore on public business, and under the protection of a flag, 
as well by the invitation of ArnoH as by the command of his 
own general ; that he was the bearer of a regular passport for 
his return to New York; that all his doings during the time 
he had passed with the Americans, and especially the change 
of his dress and name, had been dictated by the will of Ar- 
MokL The colonel concluded with alleging that the major 



268 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

could no longer be detained without a violation of the sanctity 
of flags, and a contempt for all the laws of war, as they are 
acknowledged and practised by all nations. General Clinton 
wrote in much the same style in favor of Andre. In the let- 
ter of that general was enclosed a second from Arnold ; its 
language could not pretend to the merit of reserve. He in- 
sisted that in his character of American general, he was in- 
vested with the right to grant Andre the usual privilege of 
flags, that he might approach in safety to confer with him : 
and that, in sending him back, he was competent to choose 
any way he thought the most proper. But major Andre be- 
trayed less anxiety respecting his fate than was manifested in 
•his behalf by his countrymen and friends. Naturally averse 
from all falsehood, from all subterfuge ; desirous, if he must 
part with life, to preserve it at least pure and spotless to his 
last hour, he confessed, ingenuously, that he had by no means 
come under the protection of a flag ; adding, that if he had 
come so accompanied, he should certainly have returned under 
the same escort. His language manifested an extreme atten- 
tion to avoid imputing fault to any : abjuring, on the contrary, 
all dissimulation in regard to what concerned him personally, 
he often avowed more than was questioned him. So much 
generosity and constancy were universally admired. The fate 
of this unfortunate young man wrung tears of compassion 
even from his judges. All would have wished to save him ; 
but the fact was too notorious. The court-martial, on the 
ground of his own confession, pronounced that he was, and 
ought to be considered as a spy, and as such to be punished 
with death. Washinofton notified this sentence to Clinton, in 
the answer to his letter. He recapitulated all the circum- 
stances of the offence, inviting him to observe, that, although 
they were of a nature to justify towards major Andre the 
summary proceedings usual in the case of spies, still he had 
preferred to act in respect to him with more deliberation and 
scruple ; that it was, therefore, not without a perfect knowl- 
edge of the cause, that the court-martial had passed the judg- 
ment of which he apprized him. But Clinton, half delirious 
with anguish at the destiny of Andre, whom he loved with 
the utmost tenderness, did not restrict himself to the effortsi 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 269 

he had already made to preserve him. He again wrote to 
Washington, praying him to consent to a conference between 
several delegates of the two parties, in order to throw all the 
light possible upon so dubious an affair. Washington com- 
plied with the proposal ; he sent general Greene to Dobbs' 
Ferry, where he was met by general Robertson on the part of 
the English. The latter exerted himself with extreme earn- 
estness to prove that Andre could not be considered as a spy. 
He repeated the arguments already advanced of the privilege 
of flags, and of the necessity that controlled the actions of 
Andre while he was in the power of Arnold. But, perceiving 
that his reasoning produced no effect, he endeavored to per- 
suade by the voice of humanity ; he alleged the essential 
importance of mitigating, by generous counsels, the rigors of 
war; he extolled the clemency of general Clinton, who had 
never put to death any of those persons who had violated the 
laws of war ; he reminded, that major Andre was particularly 
dear to the general-in-chief, and that, if he might be permitted 
to reconduct him to New York, any American, of whatever 
crime accused, and now in the power of the English, should 
be immediately set at liberty. He made still another proposi- 
tion ; and that was, to suspend the execution of the judgment, 
and to refer the aifair to the decision of two officers, familiar 
alike with the laws of war and of nations, such as the generals 
Knyphausen and Rochambeau. Finally, general Robertson 
presented a letter from Arnold, directed to Washington, by 
which he endeavored to exculpate the British prisoner, and 
to take all the blame of his conduct upon himself He did 
not retire till after having threatened the most terrible retalia- 
tions, if the sentence of the court-martial was executed ; he 
declared, in particular, that the rebels of Carolina, whose life 
general Clinton had hitherto generously spared, should be 
immediately punished with death. The interposition of Ar- 
nold could not but tend to the prejudice of Andre; and even 
if the Americans had been inclined to clemency, his letter 
would have sufficed to divert them from it. The conference 
had no effect. 

Meanwhile the young Englishman prepared himself for 
death. He manifested, at its approach, not that contempt 
23* 



270 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

which is often no other than dissimulation, or brutishness ; 
nor yet that weakness which is peculiar to effeminate, or 
guilty men ; but that firmness which is the noble characteristic 
of the virtuous and brave. He regretted life, but he sighed 
still deeper at the manner of losing it. He could have wished 
to die a professional death ; but he was doomed to the punr 
ishment of spies and malefactors, to the infamous death of 
the halter. This idea struck him with horror, and, on being 
apprized of the fate that awaited him, he addressed a letter to 
general Washington, in which he made the following pathetic 
appeal :* 

" Buoyed above the terror of death," said he, " by the 
consciousness of a life devoted to honorable pursuits, and 
stained with no action that can give me remorse, I trust that 
the request that I make to your excellency at this serious pe- 
riod, and which is to soften my last moments, will not be 
rejected. Sympathy towards a soldier will surely induce your 
excellency, and a military friend, to adapt the mode of my death 
to the feelings of a man of honor. Let me hope, sir, that if 
aught in my character impresses you with esteem towards me, 
as the victim of policy and resentment, I shall experience the 
operation of those feelings in your breast by being informed 
that I am not to die on a gibbet." 

General Washington held a consultation with his officers 
on the propriety of major Andre's request to be shot ; but it 
was deemed necessary to deny it, and, on the 2d of Oc 
tober, this gallant, but unfortunate young man expired on the 
gallows, universally lamented, both by friends and foes. 

Congress voted to Paulding, Williams and Van Wert, as a 
reward for their virtuous and patriotic conduct, to each an 
annuity of $200 and a silver medal, on one side of which 
was a shield, with the inscription " Fidelity;" on the other, the 
motto " Vincit amor patrics,^' — the love of country conquers. 

Major Andre had been injudiciously permitted by Jameson to 
write to Arnold, who took refuge on board the Vulture, and 
escaped to New Y'ork, where he received the commission of 
brigadier-general, and the sum of .£10,000 sterling, as the 
price of his dishonor. 

* Botta. 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 271 

Soon after Arnold entered the service of the enemy, he 
took the command of an enterprise against Virginia, and 
signified his zeal in the cause he had espoused by committing 
depredations against the inhabitants of that state. 

Sec. XII. When it was ascertained, that 
Arnold had taken refuge with the enemy at 
New York, general Washington made exertions 
to take him, and bring him to the reward of his 
treachery. The design was, however, frustrated 
by the embarkation of Arnold for Virginia. 

"Having matured the plan, W^ashington sent to major 
Lee to repair to head-quarters, at Tappan, on the Hudson. 
' I have sent for you,' said general Washington, ' in the expec- 
tation that you have some one in your corps, who is willing 
to undertake a delicate and hazardous project. Whoever 
comes forward will confer great obligations upon me person- 
ally, and, in behalf of the United States, 1 will reward him 
amply. No time is to be lost; he must proceed, if possible, 
to-night. I intend to seize Arnold, and save Andre.' 

" Major Lee named a sergeant-major of his corps, by the 
name of Champe^ a native of Virginia, a man full of bone 
and muscle, with a countenance grave, thoughtful, and taci- 
turn, of tried courage, and inflexible perseverance. 

" Champe was sent for by major Lee, and the plan proposed. 
This was for him to desert ; to escape to New York ; to ap- 
pear friendly to the enemy ; to watch Arnold, and, upon 
some fit opportunity, with the assistance of some one whom 
Champe could trust, to seize him, and conduct him to a place 
on the river, appointed, where boats should be in readiness to 
bear them away. 

" Champe listened to the plan attentively ; but, with the 
spirit of a man of honor and integrity, replied, ' that it was 
not danger nor difficulty, that deterred him from immedi- 
ately accepting the proposal, but the ignominy of desertion, 
and the hypocrisy of enlisting with the enemy !' 

" To these objections, Lee replied, that although he would 
appear to desert, yet, as he obeyed the call of his commander- 



272 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

in-chief, his departure could not be considered as criminal, 
and that, if he suffered in reputation for a time, the matter 
would, one day, be explained to his credit. As to the second 
objection, it was urged, that, to bring such a man as Arnold 
to justice, loaded with guilt as he was, and to save Andre, 
so young, so accomplished, so beloved, to achieve so much 
good in the cause of his country, was more than sufficient to 
balance a wrong, existing only in appearance. 

*' The objections of Champe were, at length, surmounted, 
and he accepted the service. It was now 11 o'clock at night. 
With his instructions in his pocket, the sergeant returned to 
camp, and, taking his cloak, valise and orderly-book, drew 
his horse from the picket, and mounted, putting himself upon 
fortune. 

" Scarcely had half an hour elapsed, before captain Carnes, 
the officer of the day, waited upon Lee, who was vainly at- 
tempting to rest, and informed him that one of the patrol had 
fallen in with a dragoon, who, being challenged, put spurs to 
his horse and escaped. Lee, hoping to conceal the flight of 
Champe, or, at least, to- delay pursuit, complained of fatigue, 
and told the captain that the patrol had probably' mistaken a 
countryman for a dragoon. Carnes, however, was not thus 
to be quieted ; and he withdrew to assemble his corps. On 
examination, it was found that Champe was absent. The 
captain now returned, and acquainted Lee with the discovery, 
adding, that he had detached a party to pursue the deserter, 
and begged the major's written orders. . ^ 

" After making as much delay as practicable, without ex- 
citing suspicion, Lee delivers his orders, in which he directed 
the party to take Champe if possible. * Bring him alive,' 
said he, ' that he may suffer in the presence of the army ; but 
kill him if he resists, or if he escapes after being taken.' 

" A shower of rain fell soon after Champe's departure, 
which enabled the pursuing dragoons to take the trail of his 
horse, his shoes, in common with those of the horses of the 
army, being made in a peculiar form, and each having a 
private mark, which was to be seen in the path. 

" Middleton, the leader of the pursuing party, left the camp 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 273 

a few minutes past 12, so that Champe had the start of but 
little more than an hour — a period by far shorter than had 
been contemplated. During the night, the dragoons were 
often delayed in the necessary halts to examine the road ; but, 
on the coming of morning, the impression of the horse's 
shoes was so apparent, that they pressed on with rapidity. 
Some miles above Bergen, a village three miles north of New 
York, on the opposite side of the Hudson, on ascending a 
hill, Champe was descried, not more than half a mile distant. 
Fortunately, Champe descried his pursuers at the same mo- 
ment, and, conjecturing their object, put spurs to his horse, 
with the hope of escape. 

" By taking a different road, Champe was, for a time, lost 
sight of; but, on approaching the river, he was again descried. 
Aware of his danger, he now lashed his valise, containing his 
clothes and orderly-book, to his shoulders, and prepared him- 
self to plunge into the river, if necessary. Swift was his 
flight, and swift the pursuit. Middleton and his party were 
within a few hundred yards, when Champe threw himself 
from his horse, and plunged into the river, calling aloud upon 
some British galleys, at no great distance, for help. A boat 
was instantly despatched to the sergeant^s assistance, and a 
fire commenced upon the pursuers. Champe was taken on- 
board, and soon after carried to _New York, with a letter 
fi-om the captain of the galley, stating the past scene, all of 
which he had witnessed. 

*^The pursuers, having recovered the sergeant's horse and 
cloak, returned to camp, where they arrived about three 
o'clock the next day. On their appearance with the well- 
known horse, the soldiers made the air resound with the ac- 
clamations that the scoundrel was killed. The agony of Lee, 
for a moment, was past description, lest the faithful, honorable, 
intrepid Champe had fallen. But the truth soon relieved his 
fears, and he repaired to Washington, to impart to him the 
success, thus far, of his plan. 

" Soon after the arrival of Champe in New York, he was 
sent to sir Henry Clinton, who treated him kindly, but de- 
tained him more than an hour in asking him questions! to 



374 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

answer some of which, without exciting suspicion, required 
all the art the sergeant was master of. He succeeded, how- 
ever, and sir Henry gave him a couple of guineas, and 
recommended him to Arnold, who was wishing to procure 
American recruits. Arnold received him kindly, and propos- 
ed to him to join his legion ; Champe, however, expressed his 
wish to retire from war ; but assured the general, that, if he 
should change his mind, he would enlist. 

" Champe found means to communicate to Lee an ac- 
count of his adventures ; but, unfortunately, he could not 
succeed in takino- Arnold, as was wished, before the execution 
of Andre. Ten days before Champe brought his project to a 
conclusion, Lee received from him his final communication, 
appointing the third subsequent night for a party of dragoons 
to meet him at Hoboken, opposite New York, when be 
hoped to deliver Arnold to the officers. 

" Champe had enlisted into Arnold's legion, from which 
lime he had every opportunity he could wish to attend to 
the habits of the general. He discovered that it was his 
custom to return home about 12 every night, and that, previ- 
ously to going to bed, he always visited the garden. During 
this visit, the conspirators were to seize him, and, being pre- 
pared with a gag, they were to apply the same instantly. 

*' Adjoining the house in which Arnold resided, and in 
which it was designed to seize and gag him, Champe had 
taken off several of the palings, and replaced them, so that 
with ease, and without noise, he could readily open his way 
to the adjoining alley. Into this alley he intended to convey 
his prisoner, aided by his companion, one of two associates, 
who' had been introduced by the friend, to whom Champe had 
been originally made known by letter from the commander-in- 
chief, and with whose aid and counsel he had so far conduct- 
ed the enterprise. His other associate was, with the boat, 
prepared, at one of the wharves on the Hudson river, to re- 
ceive the party. 

" Champe and his friend intended to place themselves each 
under Arnold's shoulder, and thus to bear him through the 
most unfrequented alleys and streets to the boat, representing 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 275 

Arnold, in case of being questioned, as a drunken soldier, 
whom they were conveying to the guard-house. 

" When arrived at the boat, the difficulties would be all sur- 
mounted, there being no danger nor obstacle in passing to the 
Jersey shore. These particulars, as soon as made known to 
Lee, were communicated to the commander-in-chief, who was 
highly gratified with the much desired intelligence. He de- 
sired major Lee to meet Champe, and to take care that 
Arnold should not be hurt. 

" The day arrived, and Lee, with a party of accoutred , 
horses, (one for Arnold, one for the sergeant, and the third 
for his associate, who was to assist in securing Arnold,) left 
the camp, never doubting the success of the enterprise, frcwn 
the tenor of the last received communication. The party 
reached Hoboken about midnight, where they were concealed 
in the adjoining wood ; Lee, with three dragoons, stationing 
himself near the shore of the river. Hour after hour passed, 
but no boat approached. 

" At length the day broke, and the major retired to his 
party, and, with his led horses, returned to the camp, where 
he proceeded to head-quarters, to inform the general of the 
much lamented disappointment, as mortifying as inexplicable. 
Washington, having perused Champe's plan and communica- 
tion, had indulged the presumption, that, at length, the object 
of his keen and constant pursuit was sure of execution, and 
did not dissemble the joy which such a conviction produced. 
He was chagrined at the issue, and apprehended that his 
faithful sergeant must have been detected in the last scene of 
his tedious and difficult enterprise. 

" In a few days, Lee received an anonymous letter from 
Champe's patron and friend, informing him, that^ on the day 
preceding the night fixed for the execution of the plot, Arnold 
had removed his quarters to another part of the town, to su- 
perintend the embarkation of troops, preparing, as was rumor- 
ed, for an expedition to be directed by himself; and that the 
American legion, consisting chiefly of American deserters, 
had been transferred from their barracks to one of the trans- 
ports, it being apprehended, that, if left on shore until the 
expedition was ready, many of them might desert. 



276 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

" Thus it happened that John Champe, instead of crossing 
the Hudson that night, was safely deposited on board one of 
the fleet of transports, from whence he never departed, until 
the troops under Arnold landed in Virginia. Nor was he able 
to escape from the British army, until after the junction of 
lord Cornwallis at Petersburg, when he deserted ; and, pro- 
ceeding high up into Virginia, he passed into North Carolina, 
near the Saura towns, and, keeping in the friendly districts of 
that state, safely joined the army soon after it had passed the 
Congaree, in pursuit of lord Rawdon. 

" His appearance excited extreme surprise among his former 
comrades, which was not a little increased, when they saw 
the cordial reception he met with from the late major, now 
lieutenant-colonel, Lee. His whole story was soon known to 
the corps, which reproduced the love and respect of officers 
and soldiers heretofore invariably entertained for the sergeant, 
heightened by universal admiration of his late daring and 
arduous attempt. 

" Champe was introduced to geni^ral Greene, who very 
cheerfully complied with the promise 'made by the commander- 
in-chief, so far as in his ' power ; and, having provided th/B^.j 
sergeant with a good horse and ffioney for his journey ,'sent% 
him to general Washington, who' munificently anticipated ' 
every desire of the sergeant, and presented him with a dis- 
charge from further service, lest he might, in the vicissitudes 
of war, fall into the hands of the enemy, when, if recognised, 
he vi^as sure to die on a gibbet. 

" We shall only add, respecting the after life of this inter- 
esting adventurer, that, when general Washington was called 
by president Adams, in 1798, to the command of the army, 
prepared to defend the country against French hostility, he 
sent to lieutenant-colonel Lee, to inquire for Champe ; being 
determined to bring him into the field at the head of a com- 
pany of infantry. Lee sent to Loudon county, Virginia, where 
Champe settled after his discharge from the army; when he 
learned that the gallant soldier had removed to Kentucky, 
where he soon after rlied."* 



' * Lee's Memoirs. 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 277 

Sec. XIII. 1781. The Southern States still 
continued to be the principal theatre of miUtary 
operations. The present campaign in that 
department was distinguished by several impor- 
tant enterprises. 

A detachment of the enemy, under colonel 
Tarleton, came in contact with the Americans 
under general Morgan, on the 17th of January, 
when was fought the spirited battle of the Cow- 
pens, in which the Americans obtained a decided 
triumph. The British lost, in killed, wounded 
and taken prisoners, above 600 ; the loss of the 
Americans amounted to only 12 killed and 60 
wounded. 

On the approach of the enemy, general Morgan drew up 
his men in two lines. The front line was composed entirely 
of militia, placed under the command of colonel Pickens, 
and was advanced a few yards before the second, with orders 
to^orm on the right of the second, when forced to retire. 
Major M'Dowell, with a battalion of the North Carolina vol- 
unteers, and major Cunningham, with a battalion of Georgia 
volunteers, were advanced about 150 yards in front of this 
line. The second line consisted of the light infantry and a 
corps of Virginia riflemen. The cavalry, under lieutenant- 
colonel Washington, were drawn up at some distance in the 
rear of the whole. The British, led to the attack by Tarleton 
himself, advanced with a shout, and poured in an incessant fire 
of musketry. The militia, though they received the charge 
with firmness, were soon compelled to fall back into the rear 
of the second line ; and this line, in its turn, after an obstinate 
conflict, was compelled to retreat to the cavalry. At this 
juncture, lieutenant-colonel Washington made a successful 
charge on captain Ogilvie, who, with about 40 dragoons, was 
cutting down the retreating militia; lieutenant-colonel Howard, 
almost at the same moment, rallied the continental troops, and 
charged with fixed bayonets ; and the militia instantly followed 
24 



278 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. \, 

the example. By these sudden and unexpected charges, the 
British, who had considered the fate of the day decided, 
were thrown into confusion, and driven from the ground with 
great slaughter. Howard and Washington pressed the advan- 
tage, which they had respectively gained, until the artillery 
and a great part of the infantry had surrendered. So sudden 
was the defeat, that 250 horse, which had not been brought 
into action, fled with precipitation. 

With the expectation of retaking the prisoners, and the 
intention of obliterating the impression made by the late defeat, 
lord Cornwallis instantly determined on the pursuit of Mor- 
gan, who had moved off towards Virginia. The movements 
of the royal army induced general Greene immediately to 
retreat from Hick's creek ; and, leaving the main army under 
the command of general Huger, he rode 150 miles through 
the country to join the detachment under general Morgan, 
that he might be in front of lord Cornwallis, and so direct 
both divisions of his army, as to form a speedy junction be- 
tween them. Greene, on his arrival, ordered the prisoners to 
Charlotteville, and directed the troops to Guilford court-house, 
to which place he had ordered general Huger to proceed with 
the main army. In this retreat, the Americans endured ex- 
treme hardships with admirable fortitude. The British urged 
the pursuit with such rapidity, that they reached the Catawba 
on the evening of the same day on which the Americans 
crossed it; and, before the next morning, a heavy fall of rain 
rendered that river impassable. A passage at length being 
effected, the pursuit was continued. The Americans, by ex- 
peditious movements, crossed the Yadkin on the second and 
third days of February, and secured their boats on the north 
side ; but the British, though close in their rear, were incapa- 
ble of crossing it, through the want of boats, and the rapid 
rising of the river from preceding rains. 

After a junction of the two divisions of the American army, 
at Guilford court-house, it was concluded in a council of 
officers, called by general Greene, that he ought to retire over 
the Dan, and to avoid an engagement until he should be rein- 
forced. Lord Cornwallis kept the upper countries, where 
only the rivers are fordable, and attempted to get betwepj* 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 279 

general Greene and Virginia, to cut oif his retreat, and oblige 
him to fight under many disadvantages ; but the American 
general completely eluded him. So urgent was the pursuit 
of the British, that, on the 14th of February, the American 
light troops were compelled to retire upward of 40 miles ; and 
on that day, general Greene, by indefatigable exertions, trans- 
ported his army over the Dan into Virginia. Here, again, the 
pressure was so close, that the van of the British just arrived 
as the rear of the Americans had crossed. The continental 
army being now driven out of North Carolina, earl Cornwallis 
left the Dan, and proceeded to Hillsborough, where he set up 
the royal standard. Greene, perceiving the necessity of some 
spirited measure to counteract his lordship's influence on the 
inhabitants of the country, concluded, at every hazard, to 
recross the Dan. After manoeuvring in a very masterly man- 
ner, to avoid an action with Cornwallis, three weeks, during 
which time he was often obliged to ask bread of the common 
soldiers, his army was joined by two brigades of militia from 
North Carolina, and one from Virginia, together with 400 
regulars. This reinforcemfint giving him a superiority of 
numbers, he determined no longer to avoid an engagement. 
The American army consisted of about 4400 men, of which 
more tlian one half were militia ; the British, of about 2400, 
chiefly veteran troops. The Americans were drawn up at 
Guilford in three lines. The front line was composed of 
North Carolina militia, commanded by generals Butler and 
Eaton; the second, of Virginia militia, commanded by Ste- 
phens and Lawson ; the third, of continental troops, com- 
manded by general Huger and colonel Williams. The British, 
after a brisk cannonade in front, advanced in three columns, 
the Hessians on the right, the guards in the centre, and lieu- 
tenant-colonel Webster's brigade on the left ; and attacked the 
front line. The militia composing this line, through the mis- 
conduct of an ofiicer in giving occasion to a false alarm, 
precipitately quitted the field. The Virginia militia stood 
their ground, and kept up their fire until they were ordered 
to retreat. The continental troops were last engaged, and 
maintained the conflict with great spirit an hour and a half; 
but then were forced to give way before their veteran adver- 



280 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

saries. The British broke the second Maryland brigade; 
turned the American left flank ; and got in rear of the Vir- 
ginia brigade. On their appearing to be gaining Greene's 
right, and thus threatening to encircle the whole of the conti- 
nental troops, a retreat was ordered, which was well conducted. 
This was a dear-bought victory to the British, whose killed 
and wounded amounted to several hundred. 

Immediately after the battle of Guilford, general Greene 
took the bold resolution of leading back his forces, and at- 
tacking the enemy's post at Camden. While the army was 
on its march, generals Marion and Lee invested fort Watson, 
which lay between Camden and Charleston. This fort was 
built on an Indian mount, upward of 30 feet high ; but the 
besiegers, speedily erecting a work which overlooked the fort, 
fired into it with such execution, that the garrison, consisting 
of 114 men, surrendered by capitulation. Camden was at this 
time defended by lord Rawdon with about 900 men. General 
Greene, whose army consisted of but about an equal number of 
continentals, and between 200 and 300 militia, took a good 
position about a mile distant, in expectation of alluring the 
garrison out of their lines. On the 25th, lord Rawdon sallied 
out with great spirit; and an engagement ensued. The 
American army, in the first of the action, had the advantage; 
but, in the progress of it, the premature retreat of two com- 
panies occasioned a total defeat. Greene, to prevent Rawdon 
from improving the success that he had gained, made an 
orderly retreat, and encamped about five miles from his former 
position. Most of his wounded, and all his artillery, together 
with a number of prisoners, were safely brought off from the 
field. Washington's cavalry enabled general Greene to make 
good his retreat. The general ordered them to charge the 
enemy's right flank. They made the charge, soon got into 
the rear, and threw them into the greatest confusion. The 
British retired to Camden. Although victory decided in 
favor of the British, the result was, on the whole, favorable to 
the American cause. Lord Rawdon, receiving a reinforce- 
ment, attempted, the next day, to compel general Greene to 
another action ; but, not succeeding in that design, he return* 
ed to Camden, and, having burned the gaol, mills, and many 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 281 

private houses, and a great part of his own baggage, evacuated 
that post, and retired to the southward of the Santee.* 

General Lee, in the mean time, took possession of an im- 
portant post, near the confluence of the Congaree and Santee 
rivers; and lord Rawdon soon after evacuated Camden, and 
the whole line of British posts, with the exception of Charles- 
ton and Ninety-Six. 

General Greene, the latter part of May, made an unsuccess- 
ful assault upon Ninety-Six. The enemy, however, soon 
after abandoned this post, and encamped at the Eutaw 
Springs. Here, on the 8th of September, general Greene 
advanced with 2000 men to attack them in their encampment. 
His force was drawn up in two lines ; the first was composed 
of militia, and the second of continental troops. As the 
-Americans advanced, they fell in with two parties of the Brit- 
ish, three or four miles ahead of their main army. These, 
being briskly attacked, soon retired. The militia continued 
to pursue and fire, till the action became general, and till they 
were obliged to give way. They were well supported by the 
continental troops. In the hottest of the action, colonel O. 
Williams and lieutenant-colonel Campbell, with the Maryland 
I and Virginia continentals, charged with trailed arms. Nothing 
could surpass the intrepidity of both officers and men on this 
occasion. They rushed on in good order, through a heavy 
cannonade and a shower of musketry, with such unshaken 
resolution, that they bore down all before them. Lieutenant- 
colonel Campbell, while bravely leading his men on to that 
successful charge, received a mortal wound. After he had 
fallen, he inquired who gave way, and, being informed that the 
British were fleeing in all quarters, replied, " I die contented," 
and immediately expired. The British were vigorously pur- 
sued, and upwards of 500 of them were taken prisoners. 
On their retreat they took post in a strong brick house, and 
in a picketed garden. From these advantageous positions 
they renewed the action. Four six pounders were ordered 
up before the house, from under cover of which the British 
were firing. The Americans were compelled to leave these 
pieces and retire, but they left a strong picket on the field of 

* Holmes's Annals. 

24* 



282 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

battle, and only retreated to the nearest water in their rear. 
In the evening of the next day, lieutenant-colonel Stuart, who 
commanded the British on this occasion, left 70 of his wound- 
ed men and 1000 stand of arms, and moved from the Eutaws 
towards Charleston. The loss of the British, inclusive of 
prisoners, was upwards of 1100 men; that of the Americans, 
above 500, in which number were 60 officers.* 

Sec. XIV. Early in the present season, a 
plan was formed for laying siege to New York, 
in concert with a French fleet, expected on the 
coast in August. The American troops were 
accordingly concentrated at King's Bridge, and 
all things prepared for a vigorous siege. In the 
midst of these preparations, general Washington 
received information that the expected fleet, 
under count de Grasse, would arrive in the 
Chesapeake, and that this, instead of New York, 
was the place of its destination. Disappointed 
in not having the cooperation of this force, 
Washington now changed his plan of operations, 
and directed his attention to the movements of 
the enemy in Virginia. 

After the battle of Guilford, Cornwallis, leaving South 
Carolina in charge of lord Rawdon, marched into Virginia. 
The marquis de la Fayette, with 3000 men, hastened to oppose 
him ; but the British receiving a reinforcement, it was not 
deemed prudent to risk an engagement. After several inef- 
fectual attempts to compel the marquis to a battle, Cornwallis 
retired to Yorktown, near the mouth of York river, where 
he encamped, and erected fortifications. 

Sec. XV. The fleet under the count de Grasse 
having arrived, it was resolved to make an at- 
tempt upon Cornwallis. The combined armies 
accordingly advanced upon Yorktown, and the 

* Ramsay. 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 283 

place was regularly invested on the 6th of Oc- 
tober. The siege was sustained with the most 
determined resolution, but, on the 19th, the 
place was compelled to surrender, with above 
7000 prisoners of war. The capture of Corn- 
wallis decided the triumph of the American 
cause. After this event, no further enterprises 
of any importance were attempted, and a few 
skirmishes alone indicated the continuance of 
the war. i] 

The combined forces proceeded on their way to Yorktown, 
partly by land, and partly down the Chesapeake. The whole, 
together with a body of Virginia militia, under the command 
of general Nelson, amounting, in the aggregate, to 12,000 
men, rendezvoused at Williamsburg on the 25th of September^ 
and, in five days after, moved down to the investiture of York- 
town. The French fleet, at the same time, moved to the 
mouth of York river, and took a position which was calculated 
to prevent lord Cornwallis either from retreating or receiving 
succor by water. Previously to the march from Williamsburg 
to Yorktown, Washington gave out in general orders as follows : 
" If the enemy should be tempted to meet the army, on its 
march, the general particularly enjoins the troops to place their 
principal reliance on the bayonet, that they may prove the van- 
ity of the boast, which the British make of their peculiar 
prowess in deciding battles with that weapon." 

The combined army halted, in the evening, about two miles 
from Yorktown, and lay on their arms all night. On the next 
day, colonel Scammell, an officer of uncommon merit, and of 
the most amiable manners, in approaching the outer works of 
the British, was mortally wounded, and taken prisoner. About 
this time, earl Cornwallis received a letter from sir Henry 
Clinton, announcing the arrival of admiral Digby, with three 
ships of the line, from Europe, and the determination of the 
general and flag-officers in New York to embark 5000 men is 
a fleet, which would probably sail on the 5th of October ; that 



284 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

this fleet consisted of 23 sail of the line, and that joint exer- 
tions of the navy and army would be made for his relief On 
the night after the receipt of this intelligence, earl Cornwallis 
quitted his outward position, and retired to one more inward. 

The works erected for the security of Yorktown on the right, 
were redoubts and batteries, with a line of stockade in the 
rear. A marshy ravine lay in front of the right, over which 
was placed a large redoubt. The morass extended along the 
centre, which was defended by a line of stockade, and by bat- 
teries. On the left of the centre was a hornwork with a 
ditch, a row of fraise and an abatis. Two redoubts were 
advanced before the left. The combined forces advanced, and 
took possession of the ground from which the British had re- 
tired. About this time the legion cavalry and mounted infantry 
passed over the river to Gloucester. General de Choisy invested 
the British post on that side so fully, as to cut off all commu- 
nication between it and the country. In the meantime, the 
royal army was straining every nerve to strengthen their works, 
and their artillery was constantly employed in impeding the 
operations of the combined army. On the 9th and 10th of 
October, the French and Americans opened their batteries. 
They kept up a brisk and well-directed fire from heavy cannon, 
from mortars and howitzers. The shells of the besiegers 
reached the ships in the harbor, and the Charon, of 44 guns, 
and a transport-ship, were burned. On the 10th, a messenger 
arrived with a despatch from sir Henry Clinton to earl Cornwal- 
lis, dated on the 30th of September, which stated various cir- 
cumstances tending to lessen the probability of relief being 
obtained, by a direct movement from New York. Earl Corn- 
wallis was, at this juncture, advised to evacuate Yorktown, and, 
after passing over to Gloucester, to force his way into the coun- 
try. Whether this movement would have been successful, no 
one can, with certainty, pronounce ; but it could not have 
produced any consequences more injurious to the royal interest, 
than those which resulted from dechnmg the attempt. On the 
other hand, had this movement been made, and the royal army 
been defeated or captured in the interior country, and, in the 
meantime, had sir Henry Clinton, with the promised relief, reach- 
ed Yorktown, the precipitancy of the noble earl would have 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 28^ 

been, perhaps, more the subject of censure, than his resolution 
of standing his ground and resisting to the last extremity. From 
this uncertain ground of conjectures, I proceed to relate real 
events. The besiegers commenced their second parallel 200 
yards from the works of the besieged. Two redoubts, which 
were advanced on the left of the British, greatly impeded the 
progress of the combined armies. It was, therefore, proposed 
to carry them by storm. To excite a spirit of emulation, the 
reduction of the one was committed to the French, of the other, 
to the Americans, and both marched to the assault with un- 
loaded arms. The Americans having passed the abatis and 
palisades, they attacked on all sides, and carried the redoubt in 
a few minutes, with the loss of 8 killed and 28 wounded. 
Lieutenant-colonel Laurens personally took the commanding 
officer prisoner. His humanity, and that of his associates, so 
overcame their resentment, that they spared the British, though 
they were charged, when they went to the assault, to remember 
New London, (the recent massacres at which place shall be 
hereafter related,) and to retaliate by putting the men in the 
redoubt to the sword. Being asked why they had disobeyed 
orders by bringing them off as prisoners, they answered, " We 
could not put them to death, when they begged for their lives." 
About five of the British were killed, and the rest were cap* 
tured. Colonel Hamilton, who conducted the enterprise, in 
his report to the marquis de la Fayette, mentioned, to the 
honor of his detachment, "that, incapable of imitating exam- 
ples of barbarity, and forgetting recent provocations, they 
spared every man who ceased to resist." 

The French were equally successful on their part. They 
carried the redoubt assigned to them with rapidity, but lost a 
considerable number of men. These two redoubts were in- 
cluded in the second parallel, and facilitated the subsequent 
operations of the besiegers. The British could not, with 
propriety, risk repeated sallies. One was projected at this 
time, consisting of 400 men, commanded by lieutenant-colonel 
Abercrombie. He proceeded so far as to force two redoubts, 
and to spike 1 1 pieces of cannon. Though the officers and 
poldiers displayed great bravery in this enterprise, yet their 



286 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

success produced no essential advantage. The cannon were 
soon un spiked, and rendered fit for service. 

By this time, the batteries of the besiegers were covered with 
nearly 100 pieces of heavy ordnance, and the works of the 
besieged were so damaged, that they could scEfrcely show a 
single gun. Lord Cornwallis had now no hcpe left but from 
offering terms of capitulation or attempting an escape. He 
determined on the latter. This, though less practicable than 
when first proposed, was not altogether hopeless. Boats were 
prepared to receive the troops in the night, and to transport 
them to Gloucester Point. After one whole .embarkation had 
crossed, a violent storm of wind and rain dispersed the boats 
employed on this business, and frustrated the whole scheme. 
The royal army, thus weakened by division, was exposed to 
increased danger. ^^ 

^Orders were sent to those who had passed to recross tne 
river to Yorktown. With the failure of this scheme the last 
hope of the British army expired. Longer resistance could an- 
swer no good purpose, and might occasion the loss of many 
valuable lives. Lord Cornwallis, therefore, WTOte a letter to 
general Washington, requesting a cessation of arms for 24 
hours, and that commissioners might be appointed to digest 
terms of capitulation. It is remarkable, while lieutenant- 
colonel Laurens, the officer employed by general Washington 
on this occasion, was drawing up these articles, that his father 
was closely confined in the tower of London, of which earl 
Cornwallis was constable. By this singular combination of 
circumstances, his lordship became a prisoner to the son of his 
own prisoner. 

The posts of York and Gloucester were surrendered by a 
capitulation, the principal articles of which were as follows : 
The troops to be prisoners of war to congress, and the naval 
force to France; the officers to retain their side-arms and 
private property of every kind ; but all property, obviously be- 
longing to the inhabitants of the United States, to be subject 
to be reclaimed ; the soldiers to be kept in Virginia, Mary- 
land and Pennsylvania, and to be supplied with the same 
rations as are allowed to soldiers in the service of congress ; 



m,^: 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 287 



a proportion of the officers to march into the country with the 
prisoners ; the rest to be allowed to proceed on parole to Europe, 
to New York, or to any other American maritime post in pos- 
session of the British. The honor of marching out with colors 
flying, which had been refused to general Lincoln on his giving 
up Charleston, was now refused to earl Cornwallis*; and general 
Lincoln was appointed to receive the submission of the royal 
army at Yorktown, precisely in the same way his own had 
been conducted, about 18 months before. Lord Cornwallis 
endeavored to obtain permission for the British and German 
troops'to return to their respective countries, under no other 
reHfictions than an engagement not to serve against France or 
America. He also tried to obtain an indemnity for those of 
the inhabitants who had joined him ; but he was obliged to 
recede from the former, and also to consent that the loyalists 
in his camp should be given up to the unconditional mercy of 
their countrymen. His lordship nevertheless obtained permis- 
sion for the Bonetta sloop of war to pass unexamined to New 
York. This gave an opportunity of screening such of them 
as were most obnoxious to the Americans. 

The regular troops of France and America, employed in 
this siege, consisted of about 7000 of the former, and 5500 of 
the latter ; and they were assisted by about 4000 militia. On 
the part of the combined army, about 300 were killed or 
wounded ; on the part of the British, about 500 ; and 70 were 
taken in the redoubts, which were carried by assault on the 14th 
of October. Of the 7000 men surrendered prisoners of war, so 
great was the number of sick and wounded, that there were 
only 3800 capable of bearing arms. The French and Ameri- 
can engineers and artillery merited and received the highest 
S applause. Brigadier-generals Du Portail and Knox were ^both 
I promoted to the rank of major-generals, on account of their 
, meritorious services. Lieutenant-colonel Gouvion and captain 
li|)chefontaine, of the corps of engineers, respectively received 
brevets, the former to the rank of a colonel, and the latter to 
the rank of a major. 

Congress honored general Washington, count de Rocham- 
beau, count de Grasse, and the officers of the different corps, 
and the men under them, with thanks for their services in tlie 



288 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

reduction of lord Cornwallis. The whole project was conceiv- 
ed with profound wisdom, and the incidents of it had been 
combined with singular propriety. It is not, therefore, won- 
derful, that, from the remarkable coincidence in all its parts, it 
was crowned with unvaried success. 

A British fleet and an army of 7000 men, destined for the re- 
lief of lord Cornwallis, arrived off the Chesapeake on the 24th of 
October ; but, on receiving advice of his lordship's surrender, 
they returned to Sandy Hook and New York. Such was the 
fate of that general, from whose gallantry and previous suc- 
cesses the speedy conquests of the Southern States had been 
so confidently expected. No event during the war bid fairer 
for oversetting the independence of at least a part of the con- 
federacy, than his complete victory at Camden ; but, by the 
consequences of that action, his lordship became the occasion 
of rendering that a revolution, which, from his previous suc- 
cess, was in danger of terminating as a rebellion. The loss 
of his army may be considered as the closing scene of the 
continental war in North America. 

While the combined armies were advancing to the siege of 
Yorktown, an excursion was made from New York, which was 
attended with no small loss to the Americans. General Arnold, 
who had lately returned from Virginia, was appointed to con- 
duct an expedition, the object of which was the town of New 
London, in his native country. The troops employed therein 
were landed in two detachments, on each side of the harbor. 
The one was commanded by lieutenant-colonel Eyre and the 
other by general Arnold. The latter met with little opposition : 
fort Trumbull and a redoubt which was intended to cover the 
harbor, not being tenable, were evacuated, and the men crossed 
the river to fort Griswold, on Groton hill. This was furiously ^ 
attacked by lieutenant-colonel Eyre : the garrison defende 
themselves with great resolution ; but, after a severe conflic 
of 40 minutes, the fort was carried by the assailants. The 
Americans had not more than six or seven men killed when 
the British carried their lines, but a severe execution took 
place afterwards, though resistance had ceased. An officer of 
the conquering troops inquired, on his entering the fort, who 
commanded. Colonel Ledyard answered. " I did, but you do 



I 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 289 

now," and presented him his sword. The colonel was imme- 
diately run through the body, and killed. Between 30 and 40 
were wounded, and about 40 were carried off prisoners. On 
the side of the British, 48 were killed and 145 wounded : 
among the latter was major Montgomery, and among the for- 
mer was colonel Eyre. About 15 vessels, loaded with the effects 
of the inhabitants, retreated up the river, and four others re- 
mained in the harbor unhurt ; but all excepting these were burn- 
ed by the communication of fire from the burning stores. 
Sixty dwelling houses and eighty-four stores were reduced to 
ashes, and the loss which the Americans sustained by the de- 
struction of naval stores, of provision and merchandise, was 
immense. General Arnold, having completed the object of the 
expedition, returned in eight days to New York. The Amer- 
icans lost many valuable men, and much of their possessions, 
by this incursion, but the cause for which they contended was 
Uninjured. Expeditions which seemed to have no higher ob- 
ject than the destruction of property, alienated their affections 
still farther from British government. They were not so ex- 
tensive as to answer the ends of conquest, and the momentary 
impression resulting from them produced no lasting intimidation. 
On the other hand, they excited a spirit of revenge against the 
authors of such accumulated distresses.* 

Sec. XVI. The British government now be- 
gan to abandon all hope of conquering America, 
and frequent motions were made in the British 
parliament for putting an end to the war. 

The provisional articles of peace between 
the two countries were signed by their respec- 
tive commissioners at Paris, on the 30th of No- 
vember, 1782. On the 19th of April, 1783, a 
formal proclamation of the cessation of hostili- 
ties was made throughout the army; and the 
definitive treaty, acknowledging the colonies to 
be free and independent states, was signed on 

* Ramsay. 

25 



290 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

the 30th of September. The British evacu- 
ated New York on the 25th of November, and 
the Americans took possession the same day. 

The independence of the United States had 
been previously acknowledged by most of the 
European governments. It was acknowledged 
by Holland in 1782; by Sweden in February, 
1783; by Denmark in the same month; by 
Spain in March, and by Russia in July. 

In October, congress issued a proclamation for disbanding 
the armies of the United States, and giving them the thanks 
of their country " for their long, eminent and faithful services." 
On the 2d of October, general Washington issued his farewell 
orders to the army, which were replete with salutary advice 
respecting their future conduct,, and with affectionate wishes 
for their present and future happiness. His closing words 
were, 

" And being now about to conclude these my last public 
orders, to take my ultimate leave, in a short time, of the mili- 
tary character, and to bid a final adieu to the armies I have so 
long had the honor to command, I can only again offer, in your 
behalf, my recommendations to your grateful country, and my 
prayers to the God of armies. May ample justice be done 
you here, and may the choicest of Heaven's favors, both here 
and hereafter, attend those, who, under the divine auspices, 
have secured innumerable blessings for others. With these 
wishes, and this benediction, your commander-in-chief is about 
to retire from service. The curtain of separation will soon be 
drawn, and the military scene to him will be closed for ever." 

To prevent every disorder which might otherwise ensue, on 
the day appointed for the evacuation of New York, the Amer- 
ican troops, under the command of general Knox, marched 
from Haerlem to the Bowery lane in the morning. At one 
o'clock the British troops retired from the posts in the Bowery, 
and the Americans marched forward and took possession of 
the city. 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 291 

When this was effected, general Knox and a number of 
citizens, on horseback, rode to the Bowery to receive their 
excellencies, general Washington and governor Clinton, who, 
with their suites, made their public entry into the city, follow- 
ed by the lieutenant-governor, and the members of the coun- 
cil, which had been appointed for the temporary government 
of the southern district, general Knox, and the officers of the 
army, citizens on horseback, the speaker of the assembly, and 
citizens on foot. The governor gave a public dinner, at 
which the commander-in-chief, and other general officers, 
were present. The arrangements were so well made and 
executed, that the most admirable tranquillity succeeded 
through the day and night. On Monday, the governor gave 
an elegant entertainment to the French ambassador, chevalier 
de la Luzerne. General Washington, and the principal 
officers of the army and state of New York, were present. 
On the evening of Tuesday, magnificent fireworks were ex- 
hibited at the Bowling-green, in celebration of the definitive 
treaty of peace. They were commenced by a dove descend- 
ing with the olive-branch, and setting fire to a marron battery. 

The period now approached at which it became necessary 
for the American chief to take leave of his officers, who had 
been endeared to him by a long series of common sufferings 
'and dangers. This was done in a solemn manner. The officers 
having previously assembled for the purpose, general Washing- 
ton joined them, and, calling for a glass of wine, thus addressed 
them : — " With an heart full of love and gratitude, I now take 
leave of you. I most devoutly wish that your latter days 
may be as prosperous and happy as your former ones have 
been glorious and honorable." Having drank, he added — " I 
cannot come to each of you, to take my leave, but shall be 
obliged to you, if each of you will come and take me by the 
hand." General Knox, being next, turned to him. Incapable 
of utterance, Washington grasped his hand, and embraced 
him. The officers came up successively, and he took an 
affectionate leave of each of them. Not a word was articu- 
lated on either side. A majestic silence prevailed. The 
tear of sensibility glistened in every eye. The tenderness of 
the scene exceeded all description. When the last of the 



292 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

officers had taken his leave, Washington left the room, and 
passed through the corps of light-infantry, to the place of 
embarkation. The officers followed in a solemn, mute pro- 
cession, with dejected countenances. On his entering the barge 
to cross the North river, he turned towards the companions 
of his glory, and, by waving his hat, bid them a silent adieu. 
Some of them answered this last signal of respect and affec- 
tion with tears ; and all of them hung upon the barge which 
conveyed him from their sight, till they could no longer dis- 
tinguish in it the person of their beloved commander-in-chief. 

The army being disbanded, Washington proceeded to An- 
napolis, then the seat of congress, to resign his commission. 
On his way thither, he, of his own accord, delivered to the 
comptroller of accounts in Philadelphia, an account of the 
expenditure of all the public money he had ever received. 
This was in his own hand writing, and every entry was made in 
a very particular manner. Vouchers were produced for every 
item, except for secret intelligence and service, which amount- 
ed to no more than .^1,982 10s sterling. The whole, whichy 
in the course of eight years of war, had passed through hi» 
hands, amounted only to .£14,479 18s 9d sterling. Nothing 
was charged or retained for personal services; and actual 
disbursements had been managed with such economy and 
fidelity, that they were all covered by the above moder- 
ate sum. 

•After accounting for all his expenditures of public money,, 
(secret service money for obvious reasons excepted,) with all 
the exactness which established forms required from the infe- 
rior officers of his army, he hastened to resign into the hands 
of the fathers of his country, the powers with which they had 
invested him. This was done in a public audience. Congress 
received him as the founder and guardian of the republic. 
While he appeared before them, they silently retraced the 
scenes of danger and distress through which they had passed 
together. They recalled to mind the blessings of freedom 
and peace purchased by his arm. They gazed with wonder 
on their fellowrcitizen, who appeared more great and worthy 
of esteem in resigning his power, than he had done in glori- 
ously using it. Every heart was big with emotion* Tears of 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 293 

admiration and gratitude burst from every eye. The general 
sympathy was felt by the resigning hero, and wet his cheek 
with a manly tear. After a decent pause, he addressed 
Thomas Mifflin, the president of congress, in the following 
words : — 

" Mr. President, 

"The great events on which my resignation depended 
having at length taken place, I have now the honor of offering 
my sincere congratulations to congress, and of presenting 
myself before them, to surrender into their hands the trust 
committed to me, and to claim the indulgence of retiring 
from the service of my country. 

" Happy in the confirmation of our independence and sov- 
ereignty, and pleased with the opportunity afforded the United 
States of becoming a respectable nation, I resign with satis- 
faction the appointment I accepted with diffidence : a diffidence 
in my abilities to accomplish so arduous a task, which, how- 
ever, was superseded by a confidence in the rectitude of our 
cause, the support of the supreme power of the union, and 
tlie patronage of Heaven. 

" The successful termination of the war has verified the 
most sanguine expectations ; and my gratitude for the inter- 
position of Providence, and the assistance I have received 
from my countrymen, increases with every review of the mo- 
mentous contest. 

" While I repeat my obligations to the army in general, I 
should do injustice to my own feelings not to acknowledge, 
in this place, the peculiar services and distinguished merits of 
the persons who have been attached to my person during the 
war. It was impossible the choice of confidential officers to 
compose my family should have been more fortunate. Permit 
me, sir, to recommend, in particular, those who have continued 
in the service to the present moment, as worthy of the favor- 
able notice and patronage of congress. 

" I consider it as an indispensable duty to close this last 
solemn act of my official life, by commending the interests of 
our dearest country to the protection of almighty God, and those 
who have the superintendence of them to his holy keeping. 
25* 



294 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

" Having now finished the work assigned me, I retire from 
the great theatre of action ; and, bidding an affectionate fare- 
well to this august body, under whose orders I have long 
acted, I here offer my commission, and take my leave of all 
the employments of public life." 

This address being ended, general Washington advanced, 
and delivered his commission into the hands of the president 
of congress, who replied as follows : — 

" The United States in congress assembled receive, with 
emotions too affecting for utterance, the solemn resignation of 
the authorities under which you have led their troops with 
success through a perilous and doubtful war. 

*' Called upon by your country to defend its invaded rights, 
you accepted the sacred charge before it had formed alliances, 
and whilst it was without friends or a government to sup- 
port you. 

" You have conducted the great military contest with wis- 
dom and fortitude, invariably regarding the rights of the 
civil power through all disasters and changes. You have, by 
the love and confidence of your fellow-citizens, enabled them 
to display their martial genius, and transmit their fame to 
posterity. You have persevered till these United States, aided 
by a magnanimous king and nation, have been enabled, under 
a just Providence, to close the war in safety, freedom and 
independence ; on which happy event, we sincerely join you 
in congratulations. 

" Having defended the standard of liberty in this new 
world ; having taught a lesson useful to those who inflict, and 
to those who feel oppression, you retire from the great theatre 
of action with the blessings of your fellow-citizens ; but the 
glory of your virtues will not terminate with your military 
command ; it will continue to animate remotest ages. We feel 
with you our obligations to the army in general, and will 
particularly charge ourselves with the interest of those confi- 
dential officers who have attended your person to this affecting 
moment. 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 295 

** We join you in commending the interests of our dearest 
country to the protection of almighty God, beseeching him to 
dispose the hearts and minds of its citizens to improve the 
opportunity afforded them of becoming a happy and respecta- 
ble nation ; and for you, we address to Him our earnest prayers, 
that a life so beloved may be fostered with all his care ; that 
your days may be happy as they haye been illustrious, and that 
he will finally give you that reward which this world cannot 
give." 

During this affecting scene, neither Washington nor the 
president of congress were fully able to preserve their powers 
of utterance. The mingled emotions that agitated the minds 
of the spectators were indescribable. After having, by his own 
voluntary act, resigned his commission, the American chief 
hastened to his seat at Mount Vernon ; to the bosom of his 
family, and the delights of domestic life. 

To pass suddenly from the toils of the first commission in 
the United States to the care of a farm; to exchange the 
instruments of war for the implements of husbandry ; and to 
become at once the patron and example of ingenious agricul- 
ture, would to most men have been a difficult task. But to 
the elevated mind of Washington, it was natural and delightful. 
From his example, let the commanders of armies learn, that 
the fame which is acquired by the sword, without guilt or am- 
bition, may be preserved without power or splendor in pri- 
vate life.* 

* Ramsay. 



296 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

CHAP. XIV. 

FROM 1783 TO 1812. 

Condition of the Country at the Close of the War, 
Organization of the General Government. In- 
ternal Concerns of the State, Settlement of the 
Vermont Controversy, Agriculture^ Arts,' Manu- 
factures, and Commerce. Civil Policy, Atten- 
tion of the Legislature directed to the Subject of 
Internal Navigation, 

Sec. I. The Americans had, for eight years, 
been subjected to the miseries of a devastating 
war in their attempts to break the yoke of foreign 
oppression, and to estabUsh a free and indepen- 
dent government. They had been sustained, dur- 
ing this arduous contest, by high hopes of future 
prosperity, and had anticipated, in the attainment 
of this object, every other pohtical blessing, as 
its natural attendant. The object was accom- 
plished, and Thirteen Independent States arose 
from the British American Colonies. It now re- 
mained for them to test, by experience, the excel- 
lence and permanence of their new institutions, 

A short period was, however, sufficient to 
evince the weakness of the existing system, and 
its incompetence to subserve the great objects 
for which it was instituted. The authority of 
the federal government was found to be too 
hmited to sustain, in a proper manner, the ex- 



FROM 1783 TO 1812. 297 

ternal relations of the country, and wholly in- 
adequate to regulate and control the local and 
conflicting interests of the separate states. 

At the termination of the war, the debts of the Union 
amounted to more than forty millions of dollars. Congress, 
though authorized by the articles of confederation to borrow 
money and issue bills of credit, had not the ability to redeem 
those bills, or the powers requisite for raising a revenue. 
After an ineffectual attempt to obtain this power from the sev- 
eral states, even the interest of the public debt remained un- 
paid, and the public credit was in great measure destroyed. 

The restrictions imposed by Great Britain on the trade 
with the West Indies began seriously to affect the commercial 
interests of the United States. Congress had not the power 
to retaliate by passing similar acts against Great Britain, nor 
would the separate states, always jealous of each other, concur 
in any measure to compel that government to relax. These 
embarrassments tended to hasten a radical change in the po- 
litical system of the United States. 

Sec. II. In 1787,* commissioners from all 
the states of the Union, excepting Rhode Island, 
assembled at Philadelphia, for the purpose of 
revising the federal system. The New Federal 
Constitution was presented to congress on the 
I7th of September, and soon after sent to the sev- 
eral states for their consideration. It was adopt- 
ed by the convention of the state of New York, 
the following year, by a majority of thirty to 
twenty-five votes. 

The convention for revising the constitution resolved, that, 
as soon as nine states should have ratified it, it should be car- 
ried into operation by congress. Afler much opposition, it 
was (1788) ratified by the conventions of eleven states. North 
Carolina and Rhode Island, at first, refused their assent, 

*MaylOth. 



298 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

but afterwards acceded to it; the former, November, 1789; 
the latter, May, 1790.* 

Sec. III. The more perfect organization of 
the federal system gave a new aspect to the po- 
litical affairs of the country. Strength and 
unanimity now took the place of weakness and 
disorder. A constitution of more ample powers 
gave nev/ vigor and efficacy to the measures of 
the general government, and prepared the way 
for that unexampled prosperity, which has char- 
acterized every subsequent period of our na- 
tional annals. 

The first congress, under the new constitution, consisting 
of delegates from eleven states, was convened at New York, 
in 1789. General George Washington was found to have 
been elected, by the unanimous suffrages of the citizens, to 
the office of president of the United States. 

During Washington's administration, the people of the 
United States began to divide themselves into two great 
parties, according to the different opinions entertained rela- 
tive to the measures pursued by the general government. 
Those friendly to the views of the administration were termed 
federalists; and those opposed to them, rcpiihlicans. In 
1797, Washington retired from the office of president, and 
John Adams was elected as his successor. The parties now 
became more fully developed, party feeling became general, 
and party measures were prosecuted with great animosity. 
The federalists maintained the ascendency until towards the 
close of Mr. Adams's administration, when the republicans 
predominated. 

Sec. IV. 1788. A general organization act 
was passed by the legislature, dividing the state 
into fourteen counties, which were subdivided 
into townships. The same success, which, at 

# See Appendix, No. 3. 



FROM 1783 TO 1812. 299 

this and subsequent periods, characterized the 
general administration, also attended the inter- 
nal ajfTairs of the state. The government was 
happily administered, and the general interests 
of the community began to assume the most 
promising appearance. 

On the termination of the revolutionary con- 
test, the inhabitants, no longer engaged in the 
defence of the country, or exposed to the depre- 
dations of the enemy, directed their attention to 
the pursuits of agriculture, and the arts of peace. 
By their industry and enterprise, they made rapid 
advances in repairing the losses which had been 
sustained during that protracted and desolating 
war. The increase of wealth, the improvements 
everywhere apparent, the rapid extension of the 
settlements, and the general aspect of plenty 
and prosperity, that pervaded the state, suf- 
ficiently evinced the success that attended their 
exertions. 

During the revolution, a considerable portion of the state 
was in the possession of the enemy, and many of its most 
fertile tracts constantly exposed to their depredations. Many 
of the new settlements were entirely broken up. On the re- 
turn of peace, these were resumed, and many others com- 
menced, which progressed with astonishing rapidity. 

In 1785, the district comprehended between the Oneida 
reservation, and the Mohawk river above the German 
Flats, and subsequently divided into the townships of Whites- 
town Paris and Westmoreland, contained but two families. 
In 1796, there were six parishes, which contained three full 
regiments of militia, and one corps of light horse.* 

Commerce, which, in common with other pur- 

* See Appendix, No. 4. 



300 ^ HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

suits had been interrupted during the war, expe- 
rienced a rapid revival on the return of peace. 

The Empress of China, a ship of 3G0 tons, the first vessel 
from the United States to China, sailed from New York in 
February, 1784, for Canton, and returned the following year. 

Sec. v. The controversy relative to the New 
Hampshire grants still continued to agitate the 
eastern part of the state. Frequent applications 
had been made by both parties to the general 
congress, for the interference of that body, but 
without obtaining any decisive result. In 1789, 
the legislature passed an act for the purpose of 
settling this controversy, and acknowledging the 
territory as an independent state. Commis- 
sioners were mutually appointed, and, in 1790, 
the subject was brought to an amicable adjust- 
ment. The new state was, in 1791, recognised 
by congress, and admitted into the Union, with 
the name of Vermont. 

It was stipulated that Vermont should pay the sum of 
thirty thousand dollars to the state of New York ; and that 
all claim of jurisdiction of the state of New Y'ork, and all 
rights and titles to lands within the state of Vermont, under 
grants from the colony or state of New Y'ork, should cease ; 
and thenceforth the perpetual boundary line between the state 
of New York and the state of Vermont should be, as then 
held and possessed, viz. : the west lines of the most western 
towns, which had been granted by New Hampshire, and the 
middle channel of lake Champlain. 

Sec VI. The inhabitants of New York now 
began to direct their attention to the more sci- 
entific pursuit of agriculture and the arts. The 
" Society for the promotion of Agriculture, Arts, 
and Manufactures," was established in 1791. 



FROM 1783 TO 1812. 301 

During the same year, a joint committee was 
appointed from the senate and assembly to make 
inquiries relative to the obstructions in the Hud- 
son and Mohawk rivers, and the most eligible 
method of removing them. An act, incorporat- 
ing the Northern and Western Inland Lock 
Navigation Companies, was passed the following 
year. The object of the former was to open a 
lock navigation from the Hudson to the head of 
lake Champlain, the latter to open a similar 
communication, through the valley of the Mo- 
hawk, between the Hudson and the Ontario and 
Seneca lakes. Both companies were soon after 
organized, and commenced operations. 

The committee of 1791 reported it as their opinion, that 
the commissioners of the land office should be authorized 
to make proposals to such persons, or association of persons, 
as will contract to open a water communication between the 
Mohawk river and Wood creek, with power to grant such 
person or persons an exclusive right to the profits of a rea- 
sonable toll on the canal, when so opened, for a limited term 
of years. 

Pursuant to the report, a bill, entitled, " An act for opening 
communications between Wood creek and the Mohawk 
river, and between lake Champlain and Hudson's river, and 
for removing obstructions in the Hudson and Mohawk rivers, 
was brought into the house of assembly, and became a law, 
under the title of " An act concerning roads and inland navi- 
gation, and for other purposes." By this law, the commis- 
sioners of the land office were authorized to cause a survey to 
be made between the Mohawk river, at or near fort Stanwix, 
and the Wood creek in the county of Herkimer, and also 
between the Hudson river and the Wood creek in the county 
of Washington ; and to cause an estimate to be made of the 
probable expense that would attend the making of canals 
sufficient for loaded boats to pass, and to report the same to 
26 



302 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

the legislature at their next meeting. A sum not exceeding 
$250 was appropriated for defraying the expense of the ser- 
rice. The commissioners caused the surveys to be made, and 
reported that the above communications were not only prac- 
ticable, but attainable at a very moderate expense, when put in 
competition with their advantages and importance to the state. 

The companies, incorporated by the act of 1792, sent to 
England to obtain a scientific and practical engineer, and, 
on his arrival, caused a survey to be made from the tide-waters 
of the Hudson to Oswego, on lake Ontario. The Western 
Inland Lock Navigation Company soon after commenced 
three short canals on the Mohawk. The first was at Little 
Falls; the second, at German Flats; the third, at Rome, 
connecting the Mohawk river with Wood creek. Each of 
these canals was about one mile in length, and had several 
locks. Dams and locks were constructed on Wood creek, to 
overcome the obstructions in that stream. These works were 
completed in 1802. 

Sec. VII. The business of manufacture had 
been commenced during the revolution, and con- 
siderable progress had been made ; but, on the 
return of peace, owing to the excessive importa- 
tion of foreign articles, it was mostly abandoned. 
The commerce of the state had been rapidly in- 
creasing,, and was now in the most prosperous 
condition. 

In 1791, the exports to foreign ports amounted to above 
$2,500,000. In 1793, 683 foreign vessels, and 1381 coasting 
vessels, entered the port of New York. 

Sec. VIII. 1795. Mr. Clinton, after having 
for 18 years discharged the office of governor 
with talents and fidelity, published an address to 
the freeholders of the state, stating that his re- 
spect for the republican principle of rotation in 
office would no longer permit him to fill his re- 



FROM 1783 TO 1812. 303 

cent honorable station. He was succeeded by 
Mr. J^, who was continued in that office till 
1801, when Mr. Clinton again accepted a re- 
election. 

This period is distinguished only by the general 
and almost unrivalled prosperity, that attended the 
public and private concerns of the community ; 
and its history would be little more than a detail of 
the successful pursuit of the various avocations 
of civil life. The passing of laws for regulating 
the general and local interests of society, the 
granting of lands, and organizing the new set- 
tlements, comprised the usual and ordinary busi- 
ness of the government. 

In 1796, the legislature passed an act, granting an annuity 
of $5552 to the Oneida Indians, in lieu of all former stipula- 
tions, for lands purchased in 1795 ; $2300 to the Cayugas, 
and $2000 to the Onondagas. An act was also passed for the 
relief of Indians, who were entitled to land in Brothertown. 
A general organization act, dividing the state into 30 counties, 
was passed in 1801. ^ 

Sec. IX. 1804. Mr. Clinton having been elect- 
ed vice-president of the United States, Morgan 
Lewis was chosen to succeed him as governor 
of New York. Mr. Lewis was succeeded by 
Daniel D. Tompkins in 1807. Albany was the 
same year made the capital of the state. 

The contest between the two great parties, into which the 
country was divided, was still continued, and party feeling 
abated none of its violence. The measures of the general gov- 
ernment, and the appointment of civil officers, constituted the 
usual subjects of controversy. In 1800, the republican party 
in New York obtained the ascendency. After a warmly con- 
tested election Thomas Jefferson, the republican candidate, 



304 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

was chosen president of the United States in 1801. During 
his administration, commenced the series of encroachments 
on the American commerce by the British, which resulted in 
a war with that country in 1812. Mr. Jefferson retired from 
the office of president in 1809, and was succeeded by James 
Madison. 

Sec. X. 1810. An act was passed by the 
legislature, " for exploring the route of an inland 
navigation from Hudson's river to lake Ontario 
and lake Erie ;" commissioners were appointed 
for this purpose, who made report the following 
year. The subject now began to excite very 
general interest, and, a bill being introduced by 
Mr. Clinton, an act was passed, " to provide for 
the improvement of the internal navigation of 
the state." Commissioners were again appoint- 
ed, and authorized to solicit assistance from the 
congress of the United .States. 

The commissioners appointed De Witt Clinton 
and Gouverneur Morris to lay the subject before 
the general government. They proceeded to 
Washington, exhibited their credentials, and pre- 
sented a memorial to congress ; but were un- 
successful in their application to that body for 
assistance. In March, 1812, the commissioners 
again made report to the legislature, and insisted 
that, now, sound policy imperatively demanded, 
that the canal should be made by the state, and, 
for her own account, as soon as circumstances 
would permit. The subject was, however, soon 
after suspended* by the breaking out of the war 
with Great Britain. 

* An act to this effect was passed on the report of the commissioners 
in 1814. 



FROM 1783 TO 1812. 305 

The Western Inland Navigation Company, incorporated in 
1792, had confined their views to the improvement of the 
navigation of the Mohawk river, the Oneida lake, and Seneca 
river as far as the Seneca lake. In 1795, the country was 
explored, under the direction of the company, as far west as 
the Seneca lake, and a report made, stating the practicability 
of considerable improvement in the navigation by connecting 
those waters. The funds of the company, however, limited 
their operations to the improvements on the Mohawk river 
and Wood creek. 

The subject remained in this posture until 1808, when 
Joshua Forman, esq., a member of the legislature from Onon- 
daga, made a motion in the assembly for a survey to be made, 
under the surveyor-general, between lake Erie and Hudson 
river, in order to ascertain the practicability of connecting 
the several waters. The resolution was adopted, and a 
survey was accordingly made. Several different routes were 
explored under the direction of the surveyor-general, who 
made report, the following year, stating " that a canal from 
lake Erie to the Hudson river was not only practicable, but 
practicable with uncommon facility." 

In 1810, as before stated, the attention of the legislature 
was again called to the subject, and the resolution for causing 
the survey to be made passed unanimously. The whole route 
was again explored during the summer, and several more ac- 
curate surveys made the following year, the result of which 
was highly favorable to the prosecution of the enterprise. In 
the reports of the commissioners, the practicability of a canal 
navigation from the Hudson to lake Erie, and the immense 
advantages which would result from the accomplishment of 
this object, were fully demonstated. The public attention 
was aroused, and the importance of the work began to be in 
some measure appreciated. 

In their report of 1812, the commissioners estimate the 
expense of the undertaking at $6,000,000, and affirm, as the 
result of their calculations, that, should the canal cost even 
$10,000,000, the revenue which would accrue from it would 
soon discharge the interest, and, very soon afterwards, by 
natural and necessary increase, discharge the principal. 
26* 



306 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

After adverting to the future importance of this work, they 
prophetically observe : " Even when, by the flow of that per- 
petual stream which bears all human institutions away, our 
constitution shall be dissolved, and our laws be lost, still the 
descendants of our children's children will remain. — The 
same mountains will stand, the same rivers run. — New moral 
combinations will be founded on the old physical foundations, 
and the extended line of remote posterity, after a lapse of 
2000 years, and the ravage of repeated revolutions, when the 
records of history shall have been obliterated, and the tongue 
of tradition have converted (as in China) the shadowy re- 
membrance of ancient events into childish tales of miracle, 
this national work shall remain. It shall bear testimony to 
the genius, the learning, the industry and the intelligence of 
the present age." 

Soon after this report was presented, an act was passed by 
the legislature, authorizing the commissioners, upon such 
terms and conditions as they should deem reasonable, to pur- 
chase, in behalf of the state, all the rights, interest and es- 
tate of the " Western Inland Navigation Company," and to 
take charge of the same. An act was also passed, authorizing 
the commissioners to borrow $5,000,000, in behalf of the state, 
for the prosecution of the canal. This act was, however, 
repealed in 1814, 



4 



WAR WITH GREAT BRITAIN. 307 

CHAP. XV. 

WAR WITH GREAT BRITAIN. 

War declared. Preparation for the Invasion of 
Canada. Battle of Queenstoimi, Capture of 
York and Fort George, Operations on the 
Lakes. Battles of Bridgewater^ Chippewa and 
Plattshurg, Termination of the War, Com- 
mencement and Completion of the Northern and 
Erie Canals, 

Sec. I. 1812. The encroachment of the 
British upon the maritime rights of the Ameri- 
cans had, for some time, been a subject of con- 
troversy between the two countries. After 
repeated negotiations, in which no satisfactory 
concessions had been made by the British gov- 
ernment, the depredations on the American 
commerce were still continued. At this crisis, 
the committee on foreign relations made report 
in concurrence with the message of the presi- 
dent, recommending, as the last resort for the 
defence of their rights, an appeal to arms. A 
bill for the declaration of war with Great Britain 
was accordingly introduced,* and, after having 
passed both houses of congress, received the 
signature of the president on the 18th of June. 
Preparations were immediately made for the 
commencement of hostilities. 

* The bill was passed by the house of representatives on the 4th, and 
by the senate on the 17th. 



308 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

" The grounds of the war, as set forth in the president's 
message to congress, were — The impressment of American 
seamen by the British ; the blockade of her enemies' ports, 
supported by no adequate forces, in consequence of which 
the American commerce had been plundered in every sea, 
and the great staples of the country cut off from their legiti- 
mate markets; and the British orders in council." 

" The right of search" constituted an important point of 
controversy. Great Britain claimed, among her prerogatives, 
to take her native born subjects for her navy, wherever found, 
and of searching American vessels for this purpose. Native 
born British subjects, who had voluntarily enlisted on board 
our vessels, were frequently seized by the officers of the British 
navy ; and, under color of seizing their ov/n subjects, thousands 
of American seamen were impressed into the British service. 

" Great Britain and France were, at this time, at war with 
each other, and had involved most of the European powers in 
their controversies. In 180G, the British government issued 
an order in council, declaring the ports and rivers from the 
Elbe to Brest to be in a state of blockade. By this order, all 
American vessels trading to these and intervening ports were 
liable to seizure and condemnation. The French soon after 
issued the ' Berlin Decree,^ by which all the British islands 
were declared to be in a state of blockade, and all intercourse 
with them prohibited. In January, 1807, the British govern- 
ment issued an order in council, prohibiting all coasting trade 
with France ; and, in November, the celebrated British ordera 
in council, prohibiting all commercial intercourse with France 
and her allies, all nations at war with Great Britain, and all 
places from which the British flag was excluded. This 
was retaliated, on the part of France, in December, by the 
' Milan Decree, declaring every vessel denationalized which 
shajl have submitted to a search by a British ship, and every 
vessel a good prize which should sail to or from Great Britain, 
or any of its colonies, or countries occupied by British 
troops.' 

While America was endeavoring to maintain a neutrality, 
and continue her commerce with the belligerents, they ^uu- 
liaued to array against each other these violent commercial 



WAR WITH GREAT BRITAIN. 309 

edicts, in direct violation of the law of nations, and the most 
solemn treaties. In consequence of these edicts, the British 
and French cruisers were let loose upon the American com- 
merce, by whom a large number of our merchantmen were 
captured, and an immense amount of American property 
seized and condemned. 

In December, congress passed an act, laying an embargo 
on all vessels within the jurisdiction of the United States. 
This measure failing to coerce the belligerents into an ac- 
knowledgment of our rights, an act was passed, March fol- 
lowing, by which all trade and intercourse with France and 
England were prohibited. This was retaliated, on the part of 
France, the following year, by the * Rambouillet decree,' 
ordering all American vessels and cargoes, arriving in any of 
the ports of France, or countries occupied by French troops, 
to be seized and condemned. 

Congress, May following, passed an act excluding British 
and French armed vessels from the waters of the United 
States ; but providing that, in case ^jtijer of these nations 
should modify its edicts before the M of March, 1811, so 
that they should cease to violate neutral commerce, commer- 
cial intercourse with such nation might be renewed. In 
consequence of this act, official intelligence was soon after 
received by the American government, that the French de- 
crees were revoked. 

No concessions were, however, made on the part of Great 
Britain, and her orders in council were still rigidly enforced. 
While affairs were in this posture, an encounter took place. 
May, 1811, between the American frigate President, com- 
manded by captain Rogers, and the British sloop of war 
Little Belt, commanded by captain Bingham, in which the 
latter suffered severely in her men and rigging. The attack 
was commenced by the Little Belt, without previous provoca- 
tion or justifiable cause. War now appeared to be the only 
alternative ; and congress, having been assembled by procla- 
mation in November, proceeded, in accordance with the 
recommendation t)f the president, to pass bills preparatory to 
a state of hostilities. 



310 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

The opinions of congress, and of the people of the United 
States, were much at variance on the policy and expediency 
of the war. By the friends of the existing administration, 
constituting the republican party,* the measure was warmly 
supported, and the war declared to be unavoidable and just. 
By the federal ^djciy it was as warmly opposed, and declared 
to be impolitic, unnecessary and unjust. The federal party, 
at this ' time constituting the minority in congress, entered 
their solemn protest against it. 

The commencement of the war was unfortunately signal- 
ized by the surrender of Detroit, with about 2500 men, to the 
enemy. General Hull, the commander, was charged with 
treason, cowardice, and unofficerlike conduct, and tried before 
a court-martial. On the first charge, the court declined giving 
an opinion ; on the two last, he was sentenced to death. The 
sentence was, however, remitted by the president. 

Sec. II. The attention of the Americans 
was early directed to the invasion of Canada, 
and troops, to the number of 8 or 10,000, were 
collected along the line for this purpose. They 
were distributed into three divisions — the north- 
western army, under general Harrison ; the 
army of the centre, under general Stephen Van 
Rensselaer, at Lewistown ; and the army of the 
north, in the vicinity of Plattsburg, under gen- 
eral Dearborn, the commander-in-chief. Great 
exertions were also made for preparing, a naval 
force upon the lakes, the command of which 
was intrusted to commodore Chauncey. 

After the surrender of Detroit, the Americans had but one 
vessel of war on these waters, the Oneida, of 16 guns, on 
lake Ontario, commanded by lieutenaht Woolsey. Commo- 
dore Chauncey, with a body of seamen, arrived at Sackett's 
Harbor about the first of October, and several schooners, 
which had been employed as traders on the lake, were imme- 
diately purchased and fitted out as vessels of war. Lieutenant 



WAR WITH GREAT BRITAIN. 311 

£lHot was despatched to Black Rock to make arrangements 
there for building a naval force superior to that of the enemy 
on lake Erie. Soon after his arrival, an opportunity was 
offered for a display of the most determined heroism. 

On the 8th of October, two British vessels, the Detroit, 
late the United States brig Adam.s, and the brig Caledonia, 
came down the lake from Maiden, and anchored under the 
guns of fort Erie, situated nearly opposite Black Rock. Elli- 
ot immediately determined to make an attack, and, if possible, 
get possession of them, and accordingly despatched an express 
to hasten the arrival of some sailors who were hourly expected. 
They arrived about noon, 50 in number, and were allowed 
only till midnight to refresh themselves, when, being reinforced 
by 50 of the regular land-forces, they put off from the mouth 
of Buffalo creek, in two boats, with lieutenant Elliot at their 
head. 

Having rowed into the lake above the vessels, they drifted r 
down with the current, till they were hailed by a sentinel on 
board one of them, when they instantly sprang to their oars, 
and, closing in upon the vessels, they jumped on board, drove 
the British below, and, in 10 minutes from their getting along 
side, the prisoners were all secured, and the vessels under 
way. 

Unfortunately, the wind was not sufficiently strong to carry 
them up against the current into the lake, and both ran 
aground. The Caledonia, however, was beached under the 
protection of one of the batteries at Black Rock, but the 
Detroit lay near the head of the island in the middle of the 
river, exposed to the batteries and flying artillery of the enemy. 
The Americans returned their fire from the Detroit ; but, 
•finding they could not bring their guns to bear with advantage, 
the prisoners were all got on shore, and the brig deserted. 
During the day, several unsuccessful attempts were made by 
the British to board and destroy the military stores in the 
Detroit, but they were mostly secured by the Americans, after 
which she was set on fire and abandoned. The loss of the 
Americans, in this enterprise, was only two killed, and four 
wounded.* 

* Historical Register. 



312 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

Sec. III. On the 13th of October, a detach- 
ment from the army of the centre, consisting of 
about 1000 men, crossed the Niagara river, and 
attacked the British on the heights of Queens- 
town. They succeeded in dislodging the enemy, 
but, not being reinforced from the American side, 
as was expected, were afterwards repulsed, and 
compelled to surrender. 

The troops destined for this expedition, having been as- 
sembled at Lewistown the preceding evening, began to embark, 
at the dawn of day, under cover of a battery mounting 
tvi^o eighteen pounders and two sixes. To accomplish their 
landing, they had only 12 boats, each capable of containing 
20 men. Their movements were soon discovered by the ene- 
my, and a brisk fire of musketry was poured from the whole 
line of the Canada shore, aided by three batteries. Colonel 
Solomon Van Rensselaer effected the first landing in the face 
of this tremendous fire with only 100 men. Though severely 
wounded, the moment he leaped from the boat, he formed his 
men in a masterly manner, and commanded his officers to 
move on. They soon succeeded in gaining the heights, and, 
reinforcements arriving, the forts were stormed, and the 
enemy driven down the hill in every direction. 

Both parties were now reinforced, the Americans by regu- 
lars and militia, the British by 600 regulars under general 
Brock. The contest was renewed, and, after a desperate en- 
gagement, the enemy were repulsed. General Brock and his 
aid, captain M'Donald, fell about the same instant. General 
Stephen Van Rensselaer now crossed over, for the purpose of 
fortifying the heights preparatory to another attack. 

At 3 o'clock in the afternoon, the enemy, being reinforc- 
ed by several hundred Indians, again advanced, and were a 
third time repulsed. General Van Rensselaer now recrossed 
the river, and made an attempt to obtain the assistance of the 
militia, who were collecting on the opposite side, but was 
unsuccessful. The militia, dismayed by the view of the con- 
test from the opposite side, absolutely refused to embark 



WAR WITH GREAT BRITAIN. 313 

The British, in the meantime, were reinforced by 800 soldiers 
from fort George, and renewed the attack. Finding it im- 
practicable to obtain the necessary reinforcements, the general 
ordered a retreat ; but, unfortunately, the boats were dispers- 
ed, and many of the boatmen had fled. The Americans, for 
a time, continued to struggle against the superior force of the 
enemy, but were finally compelled to surrender themselves 
prisoners of war. The loss of the Americans in killed was 
about 60 ; in wounded and taken prisoners, about 700 ; — that 
©f the enemy is unknown, but must have been severe. 

General Van Rensselaer soon after resigned the command, 
which devolved on general Smyth, who, the last of Novem- 
ber, projected another expedition, which was to have sailed 
from Buffalo. This expedition, however, failed from the same 
cause which occasioned the rnisfortune at Queenstown — the 
refusal of the militia to cross the lines. 

The operations of the war, the present year, were distin- 
guished by several splendid naval achievements. About the 
middle of August, the British frigate Guerriere, commanded 
by captain Dacres, was captured by the United States frigate 
Constitution, commanded by captain Isaac Hull. On the 17th 
of October, the enemy's brig Frolic was captured by the 
American sloop of war Wasp. Both of these vessels were, 
however, taken the same day by the Poictiers, a British 74. 
On the 25th, the frigate United States, of 44 guns, command- 
ed by commodore Decatur, captured the Macedonian, a 
frigate of 49 guns. On the 29th of December, the Constitu- 
tion, then commanded by commodore Bainbridge, captured 
the British frigate Java, commanded by captain Lambert. 
During the winter of 1813, an engagement took place, off 
South America, between the Horriet, commanded by captain 
Lawrence, and the British sloop of war Peacock. After an 
action of but 15 minutes, the Peacock \vas compelled to sur- 
render. 

Sec. IV. 1813. In January, the Americans, un- 
der general Winchester, sustained a severe defeat 
From the British, under general Proctor, at the 

river Raisin. During the winter, the operations 

27 



314 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

of the war on the New York frontier were most- 
ly suspended. Some skirmishing took place 
along the St. Lawrence ; but the opposing ene 
mies being divided by a barrier of ice, not suf- 
ficiently strong to admit of the transportation of 
artillery, no enterprise of any importance was 
attempted. 

In February, intelligence was received at Ogdensburg, thai 
several men, w^ho had deserted from the opposite shore on the 
ice, had been taken on the American side by a party of the 
British, and carried off and confined in the jail at Brockville. 
Captain Forsythe, the commander at Ogdensburg, crossed 
over with about 200 militia and riflemen, for the purpose of 
retaking the prisoners, and capturing the military stores at 
Brockville. On their arrival, they were fired upon by the sen- 
tinels, but, instead of returning it, they rushed through the 
main street to the jail, which was instantly carried, and the 
prisoners liberated. After capturing about 50 prisoners, and 
a small quantity of military stores, they returned without loss. 

The following evening, a small party of Indians crossed 
over, and made an attack upon the guard belonging to For- 
sythe's company, but were repulsed. On the 22d, the enemy 
crossed over in considerable force, and succeeded in capturing 
Ogdensburg. Forsythe effected a safe retreat before a supe- 
rior force to Black Lake. Some alarm was excited for the 
safety of Sackett's Harbor, but immediate measures were 
taken for its defence. No attempts were, however, made at 
further conquest, and the British, shortly after, retired across 
the St. Lawrence. 

Sec. V. In April, general Dearborn made 
dispositions for a descent upon York, the capital 
of Upper Canada. A successful attack was 
made on the 27th, and the place, with large 
quantities of military stores, fell into the hands 
of the Americans. 

The enterprise was committed to a detachment sof 1700 



WAR WITH GREAT BRITAIN. 315 

troops, under general Pike. The fleet, under commodore 
Chauncey, with the troops from Sackett's Harbor, moved 
down the lake, and, on the 27th, arrived one and a half miles 
from the enemy's works. The British, consisting of about 
750 regulars, and 500 Indians, under general Sheaife, attempt- 
ed to oppose the landing, but were thrown into confusion, and 
t^d to their garrison. 

The Americans advanced ; but, on their approach to the 
barracks, an explosion of a magazine, previously prepared for 
that purpose, took place, which killed about 100 men, among 
whom was the gallant Pike. He lived, however, to direct his 
troops, thrown into a momentary confusion, " to move on." 
They advanced, under colonel Pearce, towards the town, and 
took possession of the barracks, when they were met by the 
officers of the Canada militia, with offers of capitulation. At 
four o'clock, the troops entered the town. 

The British lost in killed, wounded and prisoners, 750 men ; 
the Americans, in killed and wounded, about 300. Early in 
May, the place was evacuated, and the fleet moved to Four 
Mile Creek, below fort Niagara, where the troops were landed, 
and a detachment of 100 men, with two schooners, sent to 
the head of the lake to seize a quantity of public stores. 
The stores were guarded by about 80 regulars, who were 
soon put to flight. The stores were brought away, the public 
buildings burnt, and the expedition returned, without loss, to 
fort Niagara. Commodore Chauncey soon after sailed for 
Sackett's Harbor, to obtain reinforcements. 

Sec. VI. Commodore Chauncey having re- 
turned with the fleet to fort Niagara, it was 
^ immediately resolved to make a descent upon 
fort George, situated on the opposite shore. An 
attack was made on the 27th of May, and, after 
a short contest, the place fell into the hands of 
the Americans. 

The troops having been embarked, the fleet stood out early 
in the morning, and took a favorable position for annoying the 
enemy's. batteries, and to cover the landing of the troops. In 



316 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

10 minutes after the schooners opened upon the batteries, thej 
were completely silenced and abandoned. The troops then 
landed near a fort which had been silenced at Two Mile Creek, 
Immediately on their landing, the enemy, who had been con- 
cealed in a ravine, advanced in great force to the edge of the 
bank, in order to charge them ; but the schooners opened so 
heavy and well-directed a fire, that they were compelled to 
retreat. The troops, in the mean time, formed, and, ascending 
the bank, immediately charged the enemy, who were routed' 
and put to flight in every direction. The British now reen-> 
tered fort George, and, having set fire to their magazines, 
moved off rapidly towards Queenstown. They were pursued 
by the light troops for several miles, when, becoming exhaust- 
ed through fatigue, they returned to fort George. 

The loss of the Americans in this enterprise was 39 killed, 
and 111 w^ounded; that of the enemy, 108 killed, and 278 
taken prisoners, of whom 163 were wounded. The number 
of militia paroled by general Dearborn w^as 507. The British 
garrison at fort Erie, soon after, blew up their magazine, and 
retreated. 

On the 23d of June^ general Dearborn despatched lieuten- 
ant-colonel Boerstler, with 570 men, to Beaver Dam, to dis- 
perse a body of the enemy. When within about two miles 
of that place, he was attacked from an ambuscade, but soon 
drove the enemy some distance into the woods. He then 
retired into a clear field, and sent an express for a reinforce- 
ment. Three hundred men were immediately marched to his 
relief, but, before their arrival, Boerstler had surrendered. 

Sec. VII. During these operations of the 
Americans, several enterprises were undertaken 
by the enemy. About the last of May, a detach- 
ment of 1000 of the British, under sir George 
Prevost, made an attack upon Sackett's Harbor, 
but were repulsed with considerable loss. 

The American loss in this attack was 21 killed, 84 wound- 
ed, and 26 missing, of the regulars and volunteers ; of the 
militia, 25 were killed, wounded and missing. The enemy 



WAR WITH GREAT BRITAIN. 317 

had 29 killed, 22 wounded, 35 taken prisoners ; in addition, 
many were killed in the boats while effecting their landing, 
and a number carried off. the field previous to the commence- 
ment of their retreat. 

On the 19th of June, the British landed and burnt Sodus, 
where a quantity of provisions was deposited, and, on the 
following day, made an unsuccessful attempt to land at Oswe- 
go. On the 2d of July, another unsuccessful attempt was 
made at Sackett's Harbor. • On the 11th, a party of the ene- 
my crossed over at Black Rock, and succeeded in carrying off 
a quantity of stores. Several enterprises were likewise con- 
ducted by the enemy on lake Erie. 

During the spring of the present year, New York was 
blockaded by the enemy. At the south, Chesapeake Bay was 
blockaded, and some predatory excursions made on the coast. 
On the 1st of June, an action took place between the British 
frigate Shannon and the Chesapeake, commanded by captain 
Lawrence, in which the latter was compelled to surrender, her 
commander being mortally wounded. In August, the Argus, 
an American vessel, was captured by the Pelican. In Sep- 
tember, success again returned to the Americans, and the 
British brig Boxer was captured by the Enterprise after a 
short but obstinate engagement.* 

Sec. VIII. On the 10th of September, an 
engagement took place between the American 
fleet, under commodore Perry, and that of the 
British, on lake Erie. After a long and desper- 
ate conflict, the Americans obtained a decisive 
victory. 

The American squadron consisted of nine vessels, carrying 
54 guns ; that of the British, of six vessels, and 63 guns. 
The line of battle was formed at eleven, and, a quarter before 
twelve, the enemy's flag-ship, dueen Charlotte, opened a tre- 
mendous fire upon the Lawrence, flag-ship of commodore 
Perry, which was sustained by the latter 10 minutes before 
che could bring her carronades to bear. At length she bore 

* Historical Register. 

27* 



318 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

up, and engaged the enemy ; but the wind was too light to 
permit the other vessels to support her, and she was compelled 
to contend for two hours with two ships of equal force. By 
this time, the brig became unmanageable, and, most of the 
crew being either killed or wounded. Perry abandoned her, 
and passed unhurt to the Niagara. 

The wind now rose, and, spreading every canvass, he bofe 
down upon the enemy. The remainder of the American 
squadron, one after another, arrived, closed in with the enemy, 
and the action became general. Three hours finished the 
contest, and Perry announced the capture of the whole squad- 
ron to general Harrison in this laconic style : " We have met 
the enemy, and they are ours." The Americans had 27 killed 
and 96 wounded ; the British lost, in killed, wounded and 
taken prisoners, about 800. 

Sec. IX. The operations on lake Ontario 
were less decisive. During the latter part of 
summer and autumn, frequent skirmishes took 
place, but no important advantage was obtained 
by either party. 

The British had a powerful naval force on lake Ontario, at 
this time commanded by commodore Yeo, and had thus far 
held the entire control of the lake. After great exertions, 
commodore Chauncey had succeeded in preparing a fleet nearly 
equal to that of the enemy, and sailed from Sackett's Harbor 
about the middle of July. His movements were, however, 
much embarrassed by the heavy sailing of his vessels. He 
made several attempts to bring the enemy to an engagement, 
but, by their superior sailing, they escaped from his pursuit. 

The two squadrons had a running fight on the 11th of Sep- 
tember, in which the enemy sustained considerable damage, 
both in men and vessels. After being for some days block- 
aded at Duck Island, they escaped to Kingston, and commo- 
dore Chauncey returned to Sackett's Harbor. On the 5th 
of October, Chauncey discovered seven sail of the enemy, 
near the False Ducks, and immediately gave chase. The 
enemy, soon after, set fire to, and abandoned, one of their 



WAR WITH GREAT BRITAIN. 319 

vessels ; and five others were compelled to surrender, with 
about 300 prisoners of war. The captured vessels proved to 
be transports from York, with troops, bound to Kingston. 

Sec. X. Soon after the capture of the ene- 
my's fleet on lake Erie, Detroit fell into the 
hands of the Americans, and great preparations 
were made for the conquest of Montreal. This 
object was to be accomplished by two divisions, 
under generals Wilkinson and Hampton, who 
were to efiect a junction on the St. Lawrence. 
The division under Wilkinson moved do\yn the 
river early in November. On the 11th, a severe 
but indecisive engagement took place between 
a detachment of the Americans, under general 
Boyd, and a detachment of the enemy, under 
lieutenant-colonel Morrison, at Williamsburg. 
The loss of the Americans, in killed and wound- 
ed, was above 300 ; that of the enemy was 
unknown. 

The force of the Americans, in this action, consisted of 
indefinite detachments from the boats, and consequently it is 
impossible to give an accurate statement of the number on 
the field. They were estimated at from 1600 to 1700 men. 
The force of the enemy was estimated at from 1200 to 2000, 
exclusive of militia. Both parties claimed the victory in 
this battle ; the British, because they captured a piece of 
cannon, and because the Americans retired from the battle- 
ground ; the Americans, because they fully accomplished 
their object, in beating back the enemy, who was harassing 
them in their progress down the river. The British account 
states, that they took 100 prisoners, of which no mention is 
made by the Americans.* 

Sec. XI. General Hampton made a short 

* Historical Register. 



%20 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

incursion into Canada ; but, owing to some mis- 
understanding between the two commanders, no 
junction was effected. The enterprise against 
Montreal was soon after abandoned, and the 
troops retired to winter quarters at French Mills, 
in the vicinity of St. Regis. Fort George was 
evacuated by the Americans about the middle of 
December. The fortress was blown up, and the 
town of Newark, situated a mile below, and 
containing about 200 houses, was laid in ashes. 

Sec XII. On the 19th of December, the 
British crossed over above fort Niagara, and 
succeeded in taking the place by storm. The 
attack was made about 4 o'clock in the morning, 
and the garrison were completely surprised. 
Such as escaped the fury of the first onset 
made some ineffectual resistance, but were soon 
compelled to surrender. 

After the capture of the fort, the British pro- 
ceeded up the river, and, having driven off a 
detachni,«Qht of militia stationed at Lewistown 
Heights, burned that village and those of 
Youngstown, Manchester, and the Indian Tus- 
carora. On the 30th, another detachment of 
the British crossed over near Black Rock. 
They were opposed by the militia under general 
Hall ; but, overpowered by the numbers and 
discipline of the enemy, the militia soon gave 
way, and were totally routed. Having set fire 
to Black Rock, the enemy advanced to Buffalo, 
and, by the burning of that place, completed the 
desolation of the Niagara frontier. 



WAR WITH GREAT BRITAIN. 321 

Sec. XIII. 1814. Fort Erie was taken by 
the Americans early in July, and, during the 
same month, sanguinary battles were fought at 
Chippewa and Bridgewater. On the 14th of 
August, the British made an attempt to regain 
possession of fort Erie. After a severe engage- 
ment, they were repulsed with the loss of 600 
'in killed, wounded and prisoners. The loss of 
the Americans was about 240. 

In the battle of Bridgewater, or Niagara, the Americans 
were commanded by generals Brown and Scott ; the British 
by generals Drummond and Riall. The battle commenced at 
4 o'clock, P. M., and continued till midnight. The British 
were compelled to retire with the loss of 900 in killed, wound- 
ed and prisoners. The loss of the Americans did not ex- 
ceed 100. 

Sec XIV. Sir George Prevost, with an army 
:of 14,000 men, made a descent upon Plattsburg, 
where he arrived on the 11th of September, and, 
after a severe engagement, was compelled to re- 
tire with great loss. The British fleet on lake 
Champlain, commanded by commodore Downie, 
was the same day captured by that of the Amer- 
icans under commodore Macdonough. 

Both the Americans and the British had, at this time, a re- 
spectable force on lake Champlain. That of the latter was 
superior, amounting to 95 guns, and 1050 men, while the 
American squadron carried but 86 guns, and 826 men. 

. The American fleet was lying off Plattsburg, when the 
British squadron was observed bearing down in order of battle. 
An engagement ensued, which lasted 2 hours and 20 minutes. 
By this time, the enemy was silenced, and one frigate, one 
brig and two sloops of war fell into the hands of the Ameri- 
cans. Several British galleys were sunk, and a few others 



322 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

escaped. The loss of the Americans was 52 killed, and 58 
wounded ; of the British, 84 killed, and 110 woiwided. 

On the commencement of the naval action, sir George 
Prevost led up his forces against the American works, and 
began throwing upon them shells, balls and rockets. The 
Americans, at the same time, opened a severe and destructive 
fire from their forts. Before sunset, the temporary batteries 
of the enemy were all silenced, and every attempt to cross 
from Plattsburg to the American works repelled. At 9 o'clock, 
the object was abandoned, and the British general hastily 
drew off his forces, diminished by killed, wounded and desert- 
ed, 2500. Large quantities of military stores were abandoned, 
and fell into the hands of the Americans. 

In March of the present year, the American navy suffered 
no inconsiderable loss in the Essex, commanded by commo- 
dore Porter, which was captured by a superior British force 
in the bay of Valparaiso, South America. In April, the 
British brig Epervier, after an action of 42 minutes, .was sur- 
rendered to the American sloop of war Peacock. 

Some important enterprises were undertaken by the enemy 
at the south the present year. In August, above 50 sail of 
the British arrived in the Chesapeake. On the 23d, a large 
detachment forced their way to Washington, and burned the 
capitol, president's house, and executive offices. They then 
hastily retired, and regained their shipping. Early in SepH 
tember, an enterprise was conducted against Baltimore. After 
an unsuccessful engagement on the 12th, the British were 
repulsed with the loss of general Ross, their commander-in- 
chief 

In December, the enemy's fleet, consisting of 60 sail, ap- 
peared off the coast of the Mississippi. A detachment of 
15,000 were landed, under command of sir Edward Packen- 
ham, and, on the 8th of January, attacked the Americans, 
consisting of about 6000, chiefly militia, under general Jackson, 
in their entrenchments before New Orleans. Afler an obsti- 
nate engagement, the enemy were compelled to retire, with 
the loss of their commander, and near 3000 men in killed, 
wounded and prisoners. 



HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 323 

Sec. XV. The war was soon after terminated 
by the treaty of Ghent. This treaty was signed 
by the commissioners of the two countries on 
the 24th of December, 1814, and ratified by the 
president and senate on the 17th of February 
following. 

This treaty made provision " for the suspension of hostilities 
— the exchange of prisoners — the restoration of territories 
and possessions obtained by the contending powers during the 
war — and a combined effort for the abolition of the slave 
trade." No provision was made in regard to the subjects for 
which the war was avowedly undertaken. It was, however, con- 
tended by the friends of the administration, that as the orders in 
council had been repealed, and the motives for impressment 
ceased with the wars in Europe, the grounds of the contro- 
versy now no longer existed. 

, Sec. XVI. The termination of hostilities 
presented an opportunity for resuming the great 
plans of improvement in the internal navigation 
of the state. In 1816, an act was passed, di- 
recting the commissioners *'to devise and adopt 
such measures as might be requisite to facilitate 
and effect a communication, by means of canals 
and locks, between the navigable waters of 
Hudson's river and lake Erie, and the said nav- 
igable waters and lake Champlain." Nothing 
of importance was, however, effected the pres- 
ent year. 

During the session of 1817, a memorial was 
presented, signed by above 100,000 of the citi- 
zens, calling upon the legislature to pass laws 
for the commencement and execution of the 
proposed canals. An act was accordingly pass- 



824 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

ed, and large appropriations made for this pur- 
pose. The Erie and Champlain canals were 
immediately commenced, and vigorous measures 
taken for their prosecution. 

On the revival of this subject, at the close of the war, the 
state of the public mind was found to be highly unfavorable 
to the enterprise. The excitement, which had been produced 
by the reports of the commissioners, in 181 1 and 1812, had 
mostly subsided, and great doubts were entertained, by a 
large body of the citizens, of the practicability of the pro- 
posed undertaking. Many, intimidated by the magnitude of 
the work, apprehended that the resources of the state were 
entirely inadequate to secure its completion. In addition to 
these difficulties, the measure was warmly opposed on party 
grounds. 

In 1816, the commissioners again made report to the legis- 
lature, and stated, that their former opinions had been con- 
firmed by reflection and additional inquiry. Their report was 
clear and conclusive, but failed in producing any very impor- 
tant results. Some measures were taken for the furtherance 
of the work, but its importance, and the advantages which 
must result from it, were, at this time, very imperfectly ap- 
preciated. The commissioners appointed the present year 
were Stephen Van Rensselaer, De Witt Clinton, Samuel 
Young, Joseph Ellicott and Myron Holley. 

In autumn, several distinguished individuals,* aware of the 
gloomy and discouraged state of the public mind, proceeded 
to call a meeting of the citizens, at the city hotel, in New 
York, to take into consideration the propriety of an applies^ 
lion to the legislature, in favor of prosecuting the canals. 
The meeting was large, and highly respectable. William 
Bayard was placed in the chair, when the business was opened 
by judge Piatt, followed by De Witt Clinton, John Swartwout, 
and others. Messrs. Clinton, Swartwout and Eddy were con- 
stituted a committee to prepare a memorial to the legislature. 

This memorial wis drafted by Mr. Clinton, and drawn in a 
masterly style, embracing a lucid and comprehensive view of 

* Judge Piatt, De Witt Clinton, and Thomas Eddy 



HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 325 

the immense advantages that would be produced to the state 
by the completion of the canal. Copies, which were sent 
throughout the state, were eagerly signed by thousands, and 
carried full conviction to every mind. The project immedi- 
ately became popular, the legislature was roused, and the 
several successive acts passed for the prosecution of the 
work. A system of finance was drawn up by Mr. Clinton, 
which, with some trifling alterations, was adopted, and went 
into successful operation.* 

Sec. XVII. In 1817, governor Tompkins was 
chosen vice-president of the United States, and 
De Witt Clinton was elected to succeed him as 
1^ governor of New York. In 1822, Mr. Clinton 
declined a reelection, and was succeeded by 
Joseph C. Yates. The constitution of the state, 
having been revised by the convention at Albany, 
the preceding year, was accepted by the people 
jn January. (See General Vieivs.) In 1824, 
Mr. Chnton was again reelected to the office of 
governor. 

The great system of internal improvement, 
commenced in 1817, was vigorously prosecuted, 
and attended by a success equalled only by the 
spirit and enterprise with which it was conduct- 
ed. The Champlain canal, 71 miles in length, 
was completed in 1823. The Erie canal, 362 
miles in length, was completed, and in successful 
operation, in October, 1825. The consumma- 
tion of this most magnificent and glorious en- 
terprise of the age was celebrated by a great 
state jubilee, and the peal of cannon was heard 
from the shores of lake Erie to those of the 
Atlantic. 

* See Documents relating to the Canals. 
28 



326 HISTORY OF NEW YORK, 



GENERAL VIEWS. 



Constitution and Laws, Political Divisions. 
Cities and Villages, Agriculture, Manufac- 
tures, Commerce, Canals, Banks, 3Iilitia. 

. Education. Literary Institutions, Religion, 
Population, Character, 

Sec. I. Constitution and Laws, On the ab-Ji 
olition of the regal authority, the convention of 
the state, in 1777, established a republican con- 
stitution. It was revised* in 1821, by a conven- 
tion at Albany, and underwent many important 
improvements. The new constitution was pre- 
sented to the people the following year, and 
accepted by a majority of more than 33,000 
votes. The constitution secures to the citizens 
the right of suffrage, freedom of conscience in 
matters of religion, the privilege of habeas cor- 
pus, and trial by jury in all criminal cases, 
protection of private property, and freedom of 
the press. 

The acts of the legislature of this state, with 
such parts of the common and statute laws of 
England and Great Britain, and such acts of the 
colonial assembly, as are not repugnant to the 
constitution, and the acts of the state legislature, 
constitute the laws of the state of New York. 

The following is a copy of the constitution, as formed hj 



CONSTITUTION. 327 

ihQ convention of 1821, and accepted by the people in Jan- 
uary, 1822. 

IVcj the people of the state of New York, acknowledging with 
gratitude the grace and beneficence of God, in permitting us 
to make choice of our form of government, do establish the 
following constitution : 

Article I. — Legislature^ 

Sec. I. The legislative power of this state shall be vested 
in a senate and assembly. 

Sec. II. The senate shall consist of 32 members. The 
# senators shall be chosen for four years, and shall be freeholders, 
he assembly shall consist of one hundred and twenty-eight 
members, who shall be annually elected. 

Sec. in. A majority of each house shall constitute a 
quorum to do business. Each house shall determine the rules 
of its own proceedings, and be the judge of the qualifications 
of its own members. Each house shall choose its own offi- 
cers ; and the senate shall choose a temporary president, when 
the lieutenant-governor shall not attend as president, or shall 
act as governor. 

Sec. IV. Each house shall keep a journal of its proceed- 
ings, and publish the same, except such parts as may require 
secrecy. The doors of each house shall be kept open, except 
when the public welfare shall require secrecy. Neither house 
shall, without the consent of the other, adjourn for more than 
two days. 

Sec. V. The state shall be divided into eight districts, to 
be called senate districts, each of which shall choose four 
senators. 

The first district shall consist of the counties of Suffolk, 
Queen's, King's, Richmond and New York. 

The second district shall consist of the counties of West- 
Chester, Putnam, Dutchess, Rockland, Orange, Ulster and 
Sullivan. 

The third district shall consist of the counties of Greene, 
Columbia, Albany, Rensselaer, Schoharie and Schenectady. 



328 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

The fourth district shall consist of the counties of Saratoga, 
Montgomery, Hamilton, Washington, Warren, Clinton, Essex, 
Franklin and St. Lawrence. 

The fifth district shall consist of the counties of Herkimer, 
Oneida, Madison, Oswego, Lewis and Jefferson. 

The sixth district shall consist of the counties of Dela- 
ware, Otsego, Chenango, Broome, Cortland, Tompkins and 
Tioga. 

The seventh district shall consist of the counties of Onon- 
daga, Cayuga, Seneca and Ontario. 

The eighth district shall consist of the counties of Steuben, 
Livingston, Monroe, Genesee, Niagara, Erie, Allegany, Cat- 
taraugus and Chattauque. ' 

And as soon as the senate shall meet, after the first election,, 
to be held in pursuance of this constitution, they shall cause 
the senators to be divided by lot into four classes of eight in 
each, so that every district shall have one senator of each 
class ; the classes to be numbered one, two, three and four. 
And the seats of the first class shall be vacated at the end of 
the first year ; of the second class, at the end of the second 
year ; of the third class, at the end of the third year ; of the 
fourth class, at the end of the fourth year, in order that one 
senator be annually elected in each senate district. 

Sec. VI. An enumeration of the inhabitants of the state 
shall be taken, under the direction of the legislature, in the 
year one thousand eight hundred and twenty-five, and at the 
end of every ten years thereafter : and the said districts shall 
be so altered by the legislature, at the first session after the 
return of every enumeration, that each senate district shall 
contain, as nearly as may be, an equal number of inhabitants, 
excluding aliens, paupers, and persons of color not taxed ; and 
shall remain unaltered until the return of another enumeration ; , 
and shall at all times consist of contiguous territory, and no 
county shall be divided in the formation of a senate district. 

Sec. Vn. The members of the assembly shall be chosen 
by counties, and shall be apportioned among the several coun- 
ties of the state, as nearly as may be, according to the num- 
bers of their respective inhabitants, excluding aliens,^ paupers, j 



CONSTITUTION. 329 

and persons of color not taxed. An apportionment of mem- 
bers of assembly shall be made by the legislature, at its first 
session after the return of every enumeration, and, when 
made, shall remain unaltered until another enumeration shall 
have been taken. But an apportionment of members of the 
assembly shall be made by the present legislature, according 
to the last enumeration taken under the authority of the 
United States, as nearly as may be. Every county heretofore 
established, and separately organized, shall always be entitled 
to one member of the assembly, and no new county shall 
hereafter be erected, unless its population shall entitle it to a 
member. . 

Sec. VIII. Any bill may originate in either house of the 
legislature, and all bills passed by one house may be amended 
by the other. 

Sec. IX. The members of the legislature shall receive for 
their services a compensation to be ascertained by law, and 
paid out of the public treasury ; but no increase of the com- 
pensation shall take effect during the year in which it shall 
have been made. And no law shailbe passed increasing the 
compensation of the members of the legislature beyond the 
' sum of three dollars a day. 

Sec. X. No member of the legislature shall receive any 
civil appointment from the governor and senate, or from the 
legislature, during the term for which he shall have been 
elected. 

Sec IX. No person, being a member of congress, or 
holding any judicial or military office under the United States, 
shall hold a seat in the legislature. And if any person shall, 
while a member of the legislature, be elected to congress, or 
appointed to any office, civil or military, under the government 

.; of the United States, his acceptance thereof shall vacate 

'his seat. 

Sec. XII. Every bill which shall have passed the senate 
and assembly, shall, before it become a law, be presented to 
the governor. If he approve, he shall sign it ; but if not, he 
shall return it with his objections to that house in which it 
shall have originated, who shall enter the objections at large 
28* 



330 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

on their journal, and proceed to reconsider it. If, after such 
reconsideration, two thirds of the members present shall agree 
to pass the bill, it shall be sent, together with the objections, 
to the other house, by which it shall likewise be reconsidered ; 
and, if approved by two thirds of the members present, it shall 
become a law. But in all such cases, the votes of both houses 
shall be determined by yeas and nays, and the names of the 
persons voting for and against the bill shall be entered on the 
journal of each house respectively. If any bill shall not be 
returned by the governor within ten days (Sundays excepted) 
after it shall have been presented to him, the same shall be a 
law, in like manner as if he had signed it, unless the legisla- 
ture shall, by their adjournment, prevent its return ; in which 
case it shall not be a law. 

Sec. XIII. All officers holding their offices during good 
behavior, may be removed by joint resolution of the two houses 
of the legislature, if two thirds of all the members elected to 
the assembly, and a majority of all the members elected to 
the senate, concur therein. 

. Sec. XIV. The political year shall begin on the first day 
of January ; and the legislature shall every year assemble on 
the first Tuesday of January, unless a different day shall be 
appointed by law. 

Sec. XV. The next election for governor, lieutenant-gov- 
ernor, senators, and members of assembly, shall commence 
on the first Monday of November, one thousand eight hun- 
dred and twenty-two ; and all subsequent elections shall be 
held at such time in the month of October or November as 
the legislature shall by law provide. 

Sec. XVI. The governor, lieutenant-governor, senators, 
and members of assembly, first elected under this constitution, 
shall enter on the duties of their respective offices on the first 
day of January, one thousand eight hundred and twenty-three ; 
and the governor, lieutenant-governor, senators, and members 
of assembly, now in office, shall continue to hold the same 
until the first day of January, one thousand eight hundred 
and twenty-three, and no longer. 



CONSTITUTION. 331 



Article II. — Electors. 

Sec. I. Every male citizen of the age of twenty-one 
years, who shall have been an inhabitant of this state one 
year preceding any election, and for the last six months a res- 
ident of the town or county where he may offer his vote ; and 
shall have, within the year next preceding the election, paid 
a tax to the state or county, assessed upon his real or person- 
al property ; or shall, by law, be exempted from taxation ; or, 
being armed and equipped according to law, shall have per- 
formed, within that year, military duty in the militia of this 
state ; or who shall be exempted from performing militia 
duty in consequence of being a fireman in any city, town or 
village in this state : And also every male citizen of the age 
of twenty-one years, who shall have been, for three years next 
preceding such election, an inhabitant of this state, and for 
the last year a resident in the town or county where he may 
offer his vote ; and shall have been, within the last year, as- 
sessed to labor upon the public highways, and shall have per- 
formed the labor, or paid an equivalent therefor, according to 
law, shall be entitled to vote in the town or ward where he 
actually resides, and not elsewhere, for all officers that now 
are, or hereafter may be, elective by the people : But no man 
of color, unless he shall have been for three years a citizen 
of this state, and for one year next preceding any election, 
shall be seized and possessed of a freehold estate of the value 
of two hundred and fifty dollars, over and above all debts and 
incumbrances charged thereon ; and shall have been actually 
rated, and paid a tax thereon, shall be entitled to vote at any 
such election. And no person of color shall be subject to 
direct taxation, unless he shall be seized and possessed of 
such real estate as aforesaid. 

Sec. II. Laws may be passed, excluding from the right of 
suffrage persons who have been, or may be, convicted of in- 
famous crimes. 

Sec. III. Laws shall be made for ascertaining, by proper 
proofs, the citizens who shall be entitled to the right of sut 
frage hereby established. 



332 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

Sec. IV. All elections by the citizens shall be by ballot, 
except for such town officers as may by law be directed to be 
otherwise chosen. 

Article III. — Executive. 

Sec. I. The executive power shall be vested in a govern- 
or. He shall hold his office for two years ; and a lieutenant- 
governor shall be chosen at the same time, and for the same 
term. 

Sec. II. No person, except a native citizen of the United 
States, shall be eligible to the office of governor; nor shall 
any person be eligible to that office who shall not be a free- 
holder, and shall not have attained the age of thirty years, 
and have been five years a resident within this state, unless 
he shall have been absent during that time, on public bijsiQ^ss 
of the United States, or of this state. ' 

Sec. III. The governor and lieutenant-governor shall be 
elected at the times and places of choosing members of the 
legislature. The persons respectively having the highest 
number of votes for governor and lieutenant-governor shall- 
be elected ; but in case two or more shall have an equal, and 
the highest number of votes for governor, or for lieutenant- 
governor, the two houses of the legislature shall, by joint ballot, 
choose one of the said persons so having an equal and the 
highest number of votes for governor or lieutenant-governor. 

Sec. IV. The governor shall be general and commander- 
in-chief of all the militia, and admiral of the navy of the 
state. He shall have power to convene the legislature (or the 
senate only) on extraordinary occasions. He shall communi- 
cate by message to the legislature, at every session, the condi- 
tion of the state, and recommend such matters to them as 
he shall judge expedient. He shall transact all necessary 
business with the officers of government, civil and military. 
He shall expedite all such measures as may be resolved upon 
by the legislature, and shall take care that the laws are faith- 
fully executed. He shall, at stated times, receive for his 
services a compensation which shall neither be increased nor 
diminished during the term for which he shall have been 
elected. 



CONSTITUTION. 333 

Sec. V. The governor shall have power to grant reprieves 
and pardons after conviction, for all offences except treason 
and cases of impeachment. Upon convictions for treason, he 
shall have power to suspend the execution of the sentence 
until the case shall be reported to the legislature at its next 
meeting ; when the legislature shall either pardon, or direct 
the execution of the criminal, or grant a further reprieve. 

Sec. VI. In case of the impeachment of the governor, or 
his removal from office, death, resignation, or absence from the 
state, the powers and duties of the office shall devolve upon 
the lieutenant-governor for the residue of the term, or until the 
governor absent or impeached shall return, or be acquitted. 
But when the governor shall, with the consent of the legisla- 
ture, be out of the state in time of war, at the head of a 
military force thereof, he shall continue commander-in-chief 
of all the military force of the state. 

Sec. VII. The lieutenant-governor shall be president of 
the senate, but shall have only a casting vote therein. If, 
during a vacancy of the office of governor, the lieutenant- 
governor shall be impeached, displaced, resign, die, or be 
absent from the state, the president of the senate shall act as 
governor until the vacancy shall be filled, or the disability 
shall cease. 

Article IV. — Appointments and Choice. 

Sec. I. Militia officers shall be chosen or appointed as 
follows : — 

Captains, subalterns and non-commissioned officers shall 
be chosen by the written votes of the members of their re- 
spective companies ; field officers of regiments and separate 
battalions, by the written votes of the commissioned officers 
of the respective regiments and separate battalions ; brigadier- 
generals, by the field officers of their respective brigades. 
Major-generals, brigadier-generals, and commanding officers 
of regiments or separate battalions, shall appoint the staff 
officers of their respective divisions, brigades, regiments or 
separate battalions. 

Sec. II. The governor shall nominate, and, with the 



334 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

consent of the senate, appoint all major-generals, brigade in- 
spectors, and chiefs of the staff departments, except the adju- 
tant-general and commissary-general. The adjutant-general 
shall be appointed by the governor. 

Sec. III. The legislature shall, by law, direct the time 
and manner of electing militia officers, and of certifying their 
elections to the governor. 

Sec. IV. The commissioned officers of militia shall be 
commissioned by the governor ; and no commissioned officer 
shall be removed from office, unless by the senate, on the 
recommendation of the governor, stating the grounds on 
which such removal is recommended ; or by the decision of 
a court-martial, pursuant to law. The present officers of the 
militia shall hold their commissions, subject to removal as 
before provided. 

Sec. V. In case the mode of election and appointment of 
militia officers hereby directed shall not be found conducive 
to the improvement of the militia, the legislature may abolish 
the same, and provide by law for their appointment and re- 
moval, if two thirds of the members present in each house 
shall concur therein. 

Sec. VI. The secretary of state, comptroller, treasurer, 
attorney-general, surveyor-general, and commissary-general, 
shall be appointed as follows : the senate and assembly shall 
each openly nominate one person for the said offices respec- 
tively ; after which, they shall meet together, and, if they shall 
agree in their nominations, the persons so nominated shall 
be appointed to the office for which he shall be nominated. If 
they shall disagree, the appointment shall be made by the joint 
ballot of the senators and members of assembly. The treasu- 
rer shall be chosen annually. The secretary of state, comp- 
troller, attorney-general, surveyor-general, and commissary- 
general, shall hold their offices for three years, unless sooner 
removed by concurrent resolution of the senate and assembly. 

Sec VII. The governor shall nominate, by message in 
writing, and with the consent of the senate, shall appoint all 
judicial officers, except justices of the peace, who shall be 
ajjpointed in the manner following, that is to say : The board 



CONSTITUTION. 335 

of supervisors in every county in this state shall, at such 
times as the legislature may direct, meet together ; and they, 
or a majority of them so assembled, shall nominate so many per- 
sons as shall be equal to the number of the justices of the peace, 
to be appointed in the several towns in the respective counties. 
And the judges of the respective county courts, or a majority ot 
them, shall also meet and nominate a like number of persons ; 
and it shall be the duty of the said board of supervisors, and 
judges of the county courts, to compare such nominations, at 
such a time and place as the legislature may direct ; and if, 
on such comparison, the said boards of supervisors and judges 
of county courts shall agree in their nominations, in all or in 
part, they shall file a certificate of the nominations in which 
they shall agree, in the office of the clerk of the county ; and 
the person or persons named in such certificates shall be 
justices of the peace : and, in case of disagreement in whole 
or in part, it shall be the further duty of the said boards ot 
supervisors and judges respectively, to transmit their said 
nominations, so far as they disagree in the same, to the govern- 
or, who shall select from the said nominations, and appoint so 
many justices of the peace as shall be requisite to fill the va- 
cancies. Every person appointed a justice of the peace shall 
hold his office for four years, unless removed by the county 
court for causes particularly assigned by the judges of the 
said court. And no justice of the peace shall be removed,*- 
until he shall have notice of the charges made against him, 
and an opportunity of being heard in his defence. 

Siic. VIII. Sheriffs, and clerks of counties, including the 
register an4 clerk of the city and county of New York, shall 
be chosen by the electors of the respective counties, once in 
every three years, and as often as vacancies shall happen. 
Sheriffs shall hold no other office, and be ineligible for the 
next three years afler the termination of their offices. They 
may be required by law to renew their security from time to 
time ; and, in default of giving such new security, their office 
shall be deemed vacant. But the county shall never be made 
responsible for the acts of the sheriff. And the governor may 
remove any such sheriff, clerk, or register, at any time within 
the three years for which he shall be elected, giving to such 



336 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

sheriff, clerk, or register, a copy of the charge against him, 
and an opportunity of being heard in his defence, before any 
removal shall be made. 

Sec. IX. The clerks of courts, except those clerks whose 
appointment is provided for in the preceding section, shall 
be appointed by the courts of which they respectively are 
clerks; and district-attorneys by the county courts. Clerks 
of courts and district-attorneys shall hold their offices for three 
years, unless sooner removed by the courts appointing them. 

Sec. X. The mayors of all the cities in this state shall be 
appointed annually, by the common councils of the respective 
cities. 

Sec. XL So many coroners as the legislature may direct, 
not exceeding four in each county, shall be elected in the 
same manner as sheriffs, and shall hold their offices for the 
same term, and be removable in like manner. 

Sec. XII. The governor shall nominate, and, with the 
consent of the senate, appoint masters and examiners in 
chancery, who shall hold their offices for three years, unless 
sooner removed by the senate, on the recommendation of the 
governor. The registers and assistant registers shall be ap- 
pointed by the chancellor, and hold their offices during his. 
pleasure. 

Sec. XIII. The clerk of the court of oyer and terminer, 
and general sessions of the peace, in and for the city and 
county of New York, shall be appointed by the court of 
general sessions of the peace in said city, and hold his office 
during the pleasure of the said court ; and such clerks and 
other officers of courts, whose appointment is not herein pro- 
vided for, shall be appointed by the several courts, or by the 
governor, with the consent of the senate, as may be directed 
by law. 

Sec. XIV. The special justices, and the assistant justices, 
and their clerks, in the city of New York, shall be appointed 
by the common council of the said city, and shall hold their 
offices for the same term that the justices of the peace, in the 
other counties of this state, hold their offices, and shall be 
removable in like manner. 



CONSTITUTION. 337 

Sec. XV. All officers heretofore elective by the people, 
shall continue to be elected ; and all other officers, whose 
appointment is not provided for by this constitution, and all 
officers whose offices may be hereafter created by law, shall 
be elected by the people, or appointed, as may by law be 
directed. 

Sec. XVI. Where the duration of any office is not pre- 
scribed by this constitution, it may be declared by law ; and, 
if not so declared, such office shall be held during the pleas- 
ure of the authority making the appointment. 

Article V. — Courts. 

Sec. I. The court for the trial of impeachments, and the 
correction of errors, shall consist of the president of the senate, 
the senators, the chancellor, and the justices of the supreme 
court, or the major part of them. But when an impeachment 
shall be prosecuted against the chancellor, or any justice of 
the supreme court, the person so impeached shall be suspend- 
ed from exercising his office, until his acquittal ; and when an 
appeal from a decree in chancery shall be heard, the chancel- 
lor shall inform the court of the reasons for his decree, but 
shall have no voice in the final sentence ; and when a writ of 
error shall be brought on a judgment of the supreme court, 
the justices of that court shall assign the reasons for their 
judgment, but shall not have a voice for its affirmance or 
reversal. 

Sec. II. The assembly shall have the power of impeaching 
all civil officers of this state for mal and corrupt conduct in 
office, and for high crimes and misdemeanors ; but a majority 
of all the members elected shall concur in an impeachment. 
Before the trial of an impeachment, the members of the court 
shall take an oath or affirmation, truly and impartially to try 
and determine the charge in question, according to evidence ; 
and no person shall be convicted without the concurrence of 
two thirds of the members present. Judgment, in cases of 
impeachment, shall not extend further than the removal from 
office, and disqualification to hold, and enjoy, any office of 
honor, trust, or profit, under this state ; but the party convict- 
29 



338 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

ed shall be liable to indictment, and punishment, according 
to law. 

Sec. III. The chancellor and justices of the supreme court 
shall hold their offices during good behavior, or until they shall 
attain the age of sixty years. 

Sec. IV. The supreme court shall consist of a chief justice, 
and two justices, any of whom may hold the court. 

Sec. V. The state shall be divided, by law, into a conven- 
ient number of circuits, not less than four, nor exceeding eight, 
subject to alteration by the legislature, from time to time, as 
the public good may require ; for each of which a circuit 
judge shall be appointed, in the same manner, and hold his 
office by the same tenure, as the justices of the supreme court : 
and who shall possess the powers of a justice of the supreme 
court at chambers, and in the trial of issues joined in the su- 
preme court, and in courts of oyer and terminer and jail deliv- 
ery. And such equity powers may be vested in the said circuit 
judges, or in the county courts, or in such other subordinate 
courts as the legislature may by law direct, subject to the ap- 
pellate jurisdiction of the chancellor. 

Sec. VI. Judges of the county courts, and recorders of 
cities, shall hold their offices for five years, but may be removed 
by the senate, on the recommendation of the governor, for 
causes to be stated in such recommendation. 

Sec. VII. Neither the chancellor nor justices of the su- 
preme court, nor any circuit judge, shall hold any other office 
or public trust. All votes for any elective office, given by the 
legislature, or the people, for the chancellor, or a justice of the 
supreme court, or circuit judge, during his continuance in his 
judicial office, shall be void. 

Article VI. — Oath of Office. 
Sec. I. Members of the legislature, and all officers, execu- 
tive and judicial, except such inferior officers as may by law be 
exempted, shall, before they enter on the duties of their re- 
spective offices, take and subscribe the following oath or 
affirmation. " I do solemnly swear, (or affirm, as the case 
may be,) that I will support the constitution of the United 
States, and the constitution of the state of New York ; and 



A 



CONSTITUTION. 339 

that I will faithfully discharge the duties of the office of 

according to the best of my ability." 

And no other oath, declaration, or test, shall be required as 
a qualification for any office or public trust. 

Article VII. — Rights and Proliihitions. 

Sec. I. *No member of this statSshall be disfranchised, or 
deprived of any of the rights or privlreges secured to any citi- 
zen thereof, unless by the law of the land, or the judgment 
of his peers. 

Sec. II. The trial by jury in all cases in which it has been 
heretofore used, shall remain inviolable for ever ; and no new 
court shall be instituted but such as shall proceed according 
to the course of the common law, except such courts of equity 
as the legislature is herein authorized to establish. 

^ Sec. III. The free exercise and enjoyment of religious 
profession and worship, without discrimination or preference, 
shall for ever be allowed in this state to all mankind ; but the 
liberty of conscience hereby secured, shall not be so construed 
as to excuse acts of licentiousness, or justify practices incon- 
sistent with t ho^p eace or safety of this state. 

Sec. IV. pmd whereas the ministers of the gospel are, by 
their profession, dedicated to the service of God and the cure 
of souls, and ought not to be diverted from the great duties of 
their functions ; therefore, no minister of the gospel, or priest 
of any denomination whatsoever, shall, at any time hereafter, 
under any pretence or description whatever, be eligible to, or 
capable of holding, any civil or military office or place within 
this state. 

Sec V. T^e militia of this state shall, at all times here- 
after, be armed and disciplined, and in readiness for service ; 
but all such inhabitants of this state, of any religious denomi- 
nation whatever, as, from scruples of conscience, may be 
averse to bearing arms, shall be excused therefrom, by paying 
to the state an equivalent in money ; and the legislature shall 
provide by law for the collection of such equivalent, to be es- 
timated according to the expense, in tim.e and money, of 
an ordinary able-bodied militia man. 



340 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

Sec. VI. The privilege of the writ of habeas corpus shall 
not be suspended, unless when, in cases of rebellion, or inva- 
sion, the public safety may require its suspension. 

Sec. VII. No person shall be held to answer for a capital, 
or otherwise infamous crime, (except in cases of impeach- 
ment, and in cases of the militia, when in actual service, and 
the land and naval forces in time of war, or which this state 
may keep, with the consent of congress, in time of peace, 
and in cases of petit larceny, under the regulation of the leg- 
islature,) unless on presentment or indictment of a grand jury ; 
and in every trial on impeachment or indictment, the party 
accused shall be allowed counsel as in civil actions. No 
person shall be subject, for the same offence, to be twice put 
in jeopardy of life or limb ; nor shall he be compelled, in any 
criminal case, to be a witness against himself; nor be depriv- 
ed of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law : 
Nor shall private property be taken for public use, without 
just compensation. 

Sec. VIII. Every citizen may freely speak, write and 
publish his sentiments, on all subjects, being responsible for 
the abuse of that right ; and no law shall be passed to restrain 
or abridge the liberty of speech, or of the pi*jBs. In all pros- 
ecutions or indictments for libels, the truth may be given in 
evidence to the jury ; and, if it shall appear to the jury, that 
the matter charged as libellous is true, and was published 
with good motives, and for justifiable ends, the party shall be 
acquitted ; and the jury shall have the right to determine the 
law and the fact. 

Sec. IX. The assent of two thirds of the members elected 
to each branch of the legislature shall be requisite to every 
bill appropriating the public moneys or property, for local or 
private purposes, or creating, continuing, altering or renewing 
any body politic or corporate. 

Sec. X. The proceeds of all lands belonging to this state, 
except such parts thereof as may be reserved or appropriated 
to public use, or ceded to the United States,.which shall here- 
after be sold or disposed of, together with the fund denomina- 
ted the common school fund, shall be and remain a perpetual 



CONSTITUTION. 341 

fund ; the interest of which shall be inviolably appropriated 
and applied to the support of common schools throughout this 
state. Rates of toll, not less than those agreed to by the 
canal commissioners, and set forth in their report to the legis- 
lature of the 12th of March, one thousand eijiht hundred and 
twenty-one, shall be imposed on, and collected from all parts 
of the navigable communications between the great western 
and northern lakes and the Atlantic ocean, which now are, or 
hereafter shall be, made and completed : And the said tolls, 
together with the duties on the manufacture of all salt, as es- 
tablished by the act of the 15th of April, one thousand eight 
hundred and seventeen ; and the duties on goods sold at auc- 
tion, excepting therefrom the sum of thirty-three thousand five 
hundred dollars, otherwise appropriated by the said act ; and 
the amount of the revenue, established by the act of the legis- 
lature of the 30th of March, one thousand eight hundred and 
twenty, in lieu of the tax upon steam-boat passengers, shall 
be, and remain inviolably appropriated and applied to the com- 
pletion of such navigable communications, and to the payment 
of the interest, and reimbursement of the capital of the money 
already borrowed, or which hereafter shall be borrowed, to 
make and complete the same. And neither the rates of toll, 
on the said navigable communications, nor the duties on the 
manufacture of salt aforesaid, nor the duties on goods sold at 
auction, as established by the act of the 15th of April, one 
thousand eight hundred and seventeen, nor the amount of the 
revenue established by the act of March the 30th, one thou- 
sand eight hundred and twenty, in lieu of the tax upon steam- 
boat passengers, shall be reduced or diverted, at any time 
before the full and complete payment of the principal and 
interest of the money borrowed, or to be borrowed as aforesaid. 
And the legislature shall never sell nor dispose of the salt 
springs belonging to this state, nor the lands contiguous there- 
to, which may be necessary or convenient for their use ; nor 
the said navigable communications, nor any part or section 
thereof; but the same shall be, and remain the property of 
this state. 

- Sec. XI. No lottery shall hereafter be authorized in this 
state J and the legislature shall pass laws to prevent the sale 

29* 



342 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

of all lottery tickets within this state, except in lotteries already 
provided for by law. 

Sec. XII. No purchase or contract for the sale of lands in 
this state, made since the 14th day of October, one thousand 
seven hundred and seventy-five, or which may hereafter be 
made, of, or with the Indians, in this state, shall be valid, unless 
made under the authority and with the consent of the legis- 
lature. 

Sec. XIII. Such parts of the common law, and of the 
acts of the legislature of the colony of New York, as together 
did form the law of the said colony, on the 19th day of April, 
one thousand seven hundred and seventy-five, and the resolu- 
tions of the congress of the said colony, and of the convention 
of the state of New York, in force on the 20th day of April, 
one thousand seven hundred and seventy-seven, which have not 
since expired, or been repealed or altered ; and such acts of the 
legislature of this state is are now in force, shall be and con- 
tinue the law of this state, subject to such alteration as the 
legislature shall make concerning the same. But all such 
parts of the common law, and such of the said acts, or parts 
thereof, as are repugnant to this constitution, are hereby ab- 
rogated. 

Sec. XIV. All grants of land within this state, made by 
the king of Great Britain, or persons acting under his author- 
ity, after the 14th day of October, one thousand seven hundred 
and seventy-five, shall be null and void ; but nothing contained 
in this constitution shall affect any grants of land within this 
state, made by the authority of the said king, or his predeces- 
sors, or shall annul any charters to bodies politic and corporate, 
by him or them made before that day ; or shall aflfect any such 
grants or charters since made by this state, or by persons act- 
ing under its authority; or shall impair the obligation of any 
debts contracted by, the state, or individuals, or bodies corpo- 
rate, or any other rights of property, or any suits, actions, 
rights of action, or other proceedings in courts of justice. 

Article VIII. — Amendments. 

Sec. I. Any amendment or amendments to this constitution 
may be proposed in the senate or assembly ; and if the saine 



CONSTITUTION. 343 

shall be agreed to by a majority of the members elected to 
each of tlie two houses, such proposed amendment or amend- 
ments shall be entered on their journals, with the yeas and 
nays taken thereon, and referred to the legislature then next 
to be chosen ; and shall be published for three months previous 
to the time of making such choice ; and if, in the legislature 
next chosen as aforesaid, such proposed amendment or amend- 
ments shall be agreed to by two thirds of all the members 
elected to each house, then it shall be the duty of the legisla- 
ture to submit such proposed amendment or amendments to 
the people, in such manner and at such time as the legislature 
shall prescribe ; and if the people shall approve and ratify 
such amendment or amendments, by a majority of the electors 
qualified to vote for members of the legislature voting thereon, 
such amendment or amendments shall become part of the 
constitution. 

Article IX. — JVIicn in force. 

Sec. I. This constitution shall be in force from the last 
day of December, in the year one thousand eight hundred and 
twenty-two. But all those parts of the same which relate to 
the right of suffrage ; the division of the state into senate 
districts ; the number of members of the assembly to be elect- 
ed in pursuance of this constitution ; the apportionment of 
members of assembly ; the elections hereby directed to com- 
mence on the first Monday of November, in the year one 
thousand eight hundred and twenty-two ; the continuance 
of the members of the present legislature in office until the 
first day of January, in the year one thousand eight hundred 
and twenty-three, and the prohibition against authorizing lot- 
teries ; the prohibition against appropriating the public moneys 
or property for local or private purposes, or creating, continu- 
ing, altering or renewing any body politic or corporate 
without the assent of two thirds of the members elected to 
each branch of the legislature, shall be in force and take 
effect from the last day of February next. The members of 
the present legislature shall, on the first Monday of March 
next, take and subscribe an oath or affirmation to support this 
constitution, so far as the same shall then be in force. Sher- 



344 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

iffs, clerks of counties, and eor oners, shall be elected at the 
election hereby directed to commence on the first Monday of 
November, in the year one thousand eight hundred and twenty- 
two; but they shall not enter on the duties of their offices 
before the first day of January then next following. The 
commissions of all persons holding civil offices on the last 
day of December, one thousand eight hundred and twenty-two, 
shall expire on that day ; but the officers then in commission 
may respectively continue to hold their said offices until new 
appointments or elections shall take place under this con- 
stitution. 

Sec. II. The existing laws relative to the manner of 
notifying, holding and conducting elections, making returns, 
and canvassing votes, shall be in force, and observed, in respect 
to the elections hereby directed to commence on the first 
Monday of November, in the year one thousand eight hundred 
and twenty-two, so far as the same are applicable. And the 
present legislature shall pass such other and further laws as 
may be requisite for the execution of the provisions of this 
constitution, in respect to elections. 

Sec. II. Political Divisions, To facilitate 
the operations of government, the state is divid- 
ed into 54 separately organized counties, which 
are subdivided into about 660 townships. Alba- 
ny was, in 1807, constituted the capital of the 
state, where the sessions of the legislature have 
since that period been regularly held. Each of 
the counties has likewise a capital or county 
town, .where the courts are held, and the county 
business transacted. The state is also divided, 
'agreeably to the constitution, into eight senato- 
rial districts, for the election of senators to the 
state legislature, and into 30 congressional dis- 
tricts, for the election of representatives to the 
congress of the United States. 



CITIES AND VILLAGES. 345 

The following presents a list of the counties in 1824, ar- 
ranged according to their population. New York, Oneida, 
Dutchess, Otsego, Onondaga, Orange, Rensselaer, Genesee, 
Cayuga, Washington, Columbia, Albany, Montgomery, Sara- 
toga, Ontario, Jefferson, West-Chester, Madison, Chenango, 
Herkimer, Ulster, Delaware, Munroe, Tompkins, Suffolk, 
Schoharie, Greene, Steuben, Queen's, Wayne, Livingston, 
Seneca, Cortlandt, St. Lawrence, Erie, Tioga, Schenectady, 
Essex, Chatauque, Oswego, Clinton, Putnam, King's, Broome, 
Yates, Warren, Allegany, Lewis, Sullivan, Rockland, Niagara, 
Richmond, Franklin, Cataraugus. 

Sec. III. Cities and Villages. The state 
contains five cities, and a large number of in- 
corporated villages. The cities are New York, 
Albany, Troy and Hudson, situated on Hudson's 
river ; and Schenectady, on the Mohawk. 
Among the most important villages are Utica, 
Rochester, Brooklyn, Buffalo, Lockport, Lan- 
singburgh, Canandaigua, Auburn, Geneva, Sack- 
ett's Harbor and Poughkeepsie. Some of these, 
and many others, particularly on the line of the 
canal, have arisen within a few years, and in- 
creased with astonishing rapidity. 

New York, the metropolis of the state, is situated on the 
southern part of the island of Manhattan. It is the largest, 
and, in a commercial point of view, the most important city 
in the Union. Its charter was first granted in 168G, and has 
subsequently received frequent alterations and amendments. 
It was renewed with additional privileges by governor Mont- 
gomery, in 1730, and confirmed by the provincial legislature 
in 1732. 

According to the charter, the city of New York embraces 

. the whole of York, or Manhattan island. This entire tract 

has been laid out by act of government into streets, squares 

and roads ; and the location, which has been formed with 

great care and skill, is made perpetual, no person being 



346 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

permitted to erect buildings on the grounds thus appropriated 
to public use. Of this extensive location, commencing at the 
southern extremity, near three miles have been tilled up along 
the Hudson, and about four on East river. In a looser sense, 
the buildings are spread over most of the . island. A great 
number of villas are scattered throughout eight or ten miles 
from the southern point ; and with these, many houses of 
an inferior class, belonging to gardeners, farmers and mechan- 
ics, who reside in them through the year. The principal 
collection of these buildings is contained in Ilaerlem village, 
and its neighborhood. Manhattanville is a similar collection 
near the Hudson. The villas are placed in almost all the 
pleasant positions on the island, and spread over it a brilliancy 
and cheerfulness not surpassed in the United States.* 

The city of New York, according to more general accepta- 
tion, limited to about four miles of the southern extremity of 
the island, is from half a mile to two miles in width, and 
from eight to ten in circuit. The street" of the southern 
part, which is the most ancient, are irregular, many of them ex- 
tremely narrow, and laid out with little regard to beauty or' 
convenience. The northern part, having been more recently 
built, is laid out with better taste, and presents many spacious 
and elegant avenues. The three principal streets are Pearl 
street, Broadway, and Greenwich street. These run the whole 
length of the city, and are intersected, though not at right angles, 
by streets running from river to river. Pearl street, near the 
East river, pursues a narrow and devious course through a 
populous part of the city, and is the seat of great business. 
Broadway passes in a straight line over the highest ground 
between the two rivers, and is the noblest avenue of the kind 
in America. Greenwich street pursues a nearly straight 
course between Broadway and the Hudson, and is wide and 
elegant. Wall street, the principal seat of the banks, insu- 
rance and brokers' offices, runs from Broadway, across Pearl 
street, to the river. Chatham street is a noble spaceway, lead- 
ing from Broadway into Bowery road. Washington street is 
a splendid avenue near the Hudson. The other principal 

* D wight. 



CITIES AND VILLAGES. 347 

streets are Fulton street, Maiden lane, John street, Nassau, 
Broad street. Prince, William, Cherry, Hudson and Cortlandt 
streets. The streets are generally well paved, with good side- 
walks, and every part of the city well supplied with lamps. 

The Battery is a fine promenade at the southern extremity 
of the city, containing several acres. It commands an exten- 
sive view of the bay and harbor of New York, with the sur- 
rounding shores, and was the site of the early fortification 
from which it derives its name. The Bowling Green is a 
circular piece of ground at the foot of Broadway, near the 
Battery. The Park is another beautiful promenade of about 
four acres, on the south side of Broadway, and near the cen- 
tre of the city. 

The modern houses in New York are mostly of brick, and 
generglly well built. Many of them are elegant. Among the 
public edifices are now included more than 100 churches, 
which are occupied by the various denominations for religious 
worship. The whole number in 1821, according to a list 
then published, was 71 — as follows : Episcopal 15, Dutch 
Reformed 9, Associate Reformed 5, Presbyterian 10, Method- 
ist 9, Baptist 7, Friends or Quakers 3, Independents 3, Congre- 
gational or Unitarian 1, Moravian 1, German Lutheran 1, 
Universalist 1, Roman Catholic 2, Mariners 1, Mission House 1, 
New Jerusalem 1, Jews' Synagogue 1. Of these, St. John's, 
in Hudson Square, is one of the richest, and, in the interior, 
one of the most beautiful. The steeple of St. Paul's is prob- 
ably not excelled by any in the Union. The front of the new 
church in Wall street is handsome. 

The City Hall, situated at the head of the Park, is a noble 
specimen of architecture, and one of the most superb build- 
ings in the United States. This edifice was begun in 1803, 
by order of the corporation, and completed in 1812, at an 
expense of $520,000. The building extends firom east to west 
216 feet by 105. The south, east and west fronts are faced 

^ with white marble, enriched with two regular orders of archi- 
tecture, the Ionic and Corinthian, raised on a rustic basement of 

, brown freestone, nine feet in height. A neat stone balustrade 
surrounds the building, and hides a great part of the roof. 



348 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

The centre has an attic story, which is crowned with a well 
proportioned cupola, surmounted by the figure of Justice. 

The basement floor contains the police office, and large 
accommodations for the city watch, the marine court, and 
other offices. 

The principal entrance is on the south front, by a terrac 
walk, which extends the length of the building, and is about 
40 feet in breadth. This is raised three feet above the level of 
the Park. From this walk, a flight of steps ascend to an Ionic 
colonnade, and from this you pass into a large vestibule, adjoin- 
ing a corridor that runs lengthwise of the building, and com- 
municates with the different apartments and staircases. This 
floor contains the mayor's office, and all the offices that belong 
to the city and county, together with a grand jury room, law 
library, and other apartments. In the centre of the building, 
facing the entrance, is a large circular stone staircase, with .a 
double flight of steps, upheld without any apparent support on j 
the wall, which surrounds the stairs. 

On the level of the second floor stand 10 marble columns 
of the Corinthian order, with a circular gallery around them. 
The columns are fluted, and the entablature fully enriched ; 
the whole covered by a hemispherical ceiling, enriched with 
sunk compartments filled with patera, and lighted by a large 
skylight, the whole of which produces a fine effect. The 
second floor contains four large court rooms, two jury rooms, 
two offices, a gallery for paintings, and a common council 
chamber. The latter is finished in a very superb style, and 
richly ornamented with carvings in stone and wood, which 
are well executed. 

Among other public edifices, the Hospital, Almshouse, 
Colleges, Theatres, Exchange, State and United States Arse- 
nals, New York Institution, State Prison, Penitentiary, Bride- 
well, and several of the Banks, are conspicuous. 

For the more convenient administration of justice, and the •, 
regulation of its internal police, the city is divided into 10 ' 
wards. It is governed by a mayor, 10 aldermen and 10 assist-, 
ants, who are styled the *' Mayor, Aldermen and Commonalty.'* 
The mayor is elected by the common council : and the alder- ■ 



CITIES AND VILLAGES. 349 

men, assistants and other officers, by the several wards. The 
Fire Department is extensive, well organized, and effective. 
The numerous societies for religious, eleemosynary, literary, 
scientific and political purposes, form too large a list to be here 
enumerated. 

The number of houses in the city of New York in 1820 
amounted to about 20,000, and the population to 123,706. 
Since that time, the number of buildings, the business and 
population of the place, have increased with greater rapidity 
than at any former period. The number of houses is now 
(1828) estimated at about 30,000, and the number of inhabit- 
ants at above 150,000. The Western and Northern Canals 
have brp^ht to this city, and must continue to bring to it, an 
immeaCe accumulation of business and wealth. New York 
has already become the commercial emporium of America. 
Considering its local advantages, and the enterprise of its in- 
habitants, we can hardly set bounds to its future increase and 
importance. 

Albany is the capital, and, next to New York, the largest 
and most important city in the state. It was founded by the 
Dutch in 1623, and then called Fort Orange. It received its 
present name on its surrender to the English in 1664, and was 
first incorporated as a city in 1686. It has the oldest charter 
of any city in the Union, and, next to Jamestown in Virginia, 
is the oldest settlement. It is situated on the west bank of 
the Hudson, 144 miles from New York, and near the head of 
sloop navigation. It is a place of large and rapidly increasing 
business. 

The principal streets, with the exception of State street, 
run parallel with the river. Many of them are narrow, but 
several are broad, and most of them well paved. State street 
extends from the river to the capitol, through a central and 
opulent part of the city : the upper part presents a spacious 
and elegant avenue. From this diverge North and South 
Market streets, extending to the two opposite extremities of 
the city, and embracing a large share of the population and 
business. Among the other most important avenues are 
North and South Pearl, Dock, Quay, and Washington streets. 
The Public Square is a spacious and elegant opening on the 
30 



350 HISTORY OF JS^EW YORK. 

east of the capitol, and is handsomely ornamented with trees 
and shrubbery. 

Most of the old houses are built in the Dutch style, and 
are of an indifferent appearance ; but the new houses are now, 
by far, the most numerous, and many of them erected in a 
style of elegance highly creditable to the ta,ste of the inhabit- 
ants. Among the public buildings, the Capitol is the most 
important. This edifice, situated at the head of State street, 
has a front of 90 feet on the east, and 115 on the north. The 
walls, 50 feet in height^ comprising two stories and a basement 
of 10 feet, are faced with freestone, from the quarries on the 
Hudson. The east front has a portico, with four marble Ionic 
columns, 33 feet in height, exclusive of the entablature. The 
roof is of a pyramidal form, surmounted by a cupola, the dome 
of which, 20 feet in diameter, is supported by eight insulated 
Ionic columns. The dome sustains a pedestal, on which is 
placed a statue of Themis, 11 feet in height, carved in wood, 
with appropriate emblems. The assembly chamber, 56 feet by 
50, and 28 high ; the senate chamber, 50 feet by 28, and 28 
high, with the room for the council of revision and the supreme 
court room, are elegantly finished, and richly ornamented in 
stucco. In addition to these, the building contains a common 
council chamber, jury rooms, mayor's court room, a room for 
the society of arts, for the state library, and the board of 
agriculture, with the county clerk's office, and other apart- 
ments. Among the other public buildings are the State Hall, 
the Albany Academy, Lancaster School House, State Arsenal, 
Almshouse, Jail, three Banks, and twelve Churches, occupied 
by the several denominations for religious w^orship. Some of 
these have been recently erected, and are highly beautiful 
structures. 

The city of Albany is divided into five wards, and governed 
by a mayor, recorder, 10 aldermen and 10 assistant aldermen, 
who are styled " the Mayor, Aldermen and Commonalty." 
The Fire Department is efficient, well organized, and provided 
with engines. The population of the city, in 1825, amounted 
to near 16,000. Since the completion of the Western and 
Northern Canals, Albany has received great accessions of 
business and population, and, from its local advantages, is 



CITIES AND VILLAGES. 351 

probably destined to be one of the largest inland cities in 
America. 

Troy, the third city in the state in point of population, is a 
beautiful and flourishing place, situated on the east bank of 
the Hudson, at the head of tide water, six miles above Albany, 
and three miles below the confluence of that river with the 
Mohawk. It was first incorporated as a village in 1801, and 
as a city in 1810. It has experienced a rapid increase, and 
has already .arisen to a considerable degree of opulence. It 
is a place of large business, which has been greatly augment- 
ed since the completion of the canals. The Poesten-kill.and 
Wynats-kill, two fine mill streams, afford a valuable water- 
power, which is extensively applied to the purposes of manu- 
facture. The inhabitants have been justly celebrated for 
their industry and enterprise. 

Along the bank of the river, which here makes a considera- 
ble bend, winds River street, the principal mart of business. 
Notwithstanding its irregularity, it is a spacious and elegant 
avenue. In rear of this, the town is regularly laid out into 
squares, by streets crossing each other at nearly right angles. 
IMost of them are 60 feet in width, and several well paved. 
The houses are built in the modern style, and are highly 
creditable to the taste of the inhabitants. Many of them are 
highly beautiful. The public buildings are a Court House, 
Jail, Clerk's Office, several Banks, and the houses for the 
Lancaster School and Female Seminary. In 18:23, there 
were six churches, occupied by the different denominations 
for religious worship; and, since that period, several other 
elegant structures have been erected for this purpose. 

Mount Ida and Mount Olympus are two fine eminences, of 
considerable elevation, a short distance from the river, and 
command an interesting view of the city and surrounding 
country. 

The city of Troy is divided into six wards, and governed 
by a mayor, recorder, and six aldermen, with four assistants. 
The population, in 1820, was above 5000 ; and, in 1823, was 
estimated at about 6000. Since that time, it has probably 
increased with greater rapidity than at any former period. 



352 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

Hudson, one of the largest and most important towns on 
the river of that name, is situated 117 miles above New York, 
and occupies a commanding eminence on the eastern bank, 
at the head of ship navigation. The site of the city is on a 
high point, projecting into the Hudson, and terminating in a 
bold, rocky cliff, washed on each side by bays of considerable 
extent. It was founded in 1784, and has rapidly increased 
in business and population. The city is regularly laid out 
into squares by streets crossing each other at right angles. 
The streets are generally spacious, and the houses well built. 
Warren street, the most important avenue, is one mile in 
length, and the principal seat of business. The public build- 
ings are a Court House, Prison, Academy, several School 
houses, and five houses for religious worship. Hudson is 
governed by a mayor, aldermen and assistants, who are an- 
nually elected by the citizens. The population, in 18*20, 
amounted to above 5300. In point of trade and manufactures, 
it probably holds the fourth rank in the state. 

Sclienectady is situated on the south side of the Mohawk, 
about 16 miles from its confluence with the Hudson. It is 
built on the site of an ancient Indian town, called by the ab- 
origines, Can-imgh-Jiaric-gagli-Iiaric* and is one of the oldest 
European settlements in the state. The city is intersected by 
the Erie canal, and is a place of considerable business. It is 
regularly laid out into streets, which are well paved, and pro- 
vided with side-walks. The houses are generally constructed 
in the ancient style, and have rather an inferior appearance. 
The public buildings are two College Edifices, a Male and Fe- 
male Academy, four Churches, Court House, Jail, Almshouse, 
Bank, and the buildings for the Lancaster and Common 
Schools. The bridge across the Mohawk at this place is 
about 1000 feet in length, and a noble piece of architecture. 
The population of Schenectady is about 4000. 

Utica is a pleasant and flourishing village, situated on the 
south bank of the Mohawk, about 80 miles above Schenecta- 

* Tra.ns\a.ted, ^ great multitude collected together. It was the capital 
of the Mohawks, and a populous town. The present name of this cit}- 
was applied by the Indians to Albany, and pronounced by them Scagk- 
nack-tea-da, which means Beyond the pine plains. 



CITIES AND VILLAGES. ^ 353 

dy. It is intersected by the Erie canal, and is one of the 
laro-est and most important of the western towns. The streets 
are conveniently arranged, and are generally broad and well 
paved. The houses are built in the modern style of architec- 
ture, and are many of them highly beautiful. The entire 
village has an air of neatness and elegance, which is seldom 
surpassed. Among the public buildings are a Court House, 
two Banks, and one or more Churches for almost every de- 
nomination. Several of the latter are uncommonly splendid. 
Utica hcLS a population of above 5000, and is a place of great 
wealth. 

Rochester, situated on the Genesee river, is the largest and 
most flourishing village in the state. It has arisen within a 
iew years, and increased in business and population with un- 
paralleled rapidity. It was first settled in 1812, and it was not 
till the latter part of 1814, that any considerable addition was 
made to the number of its inhabitants. In 1818, the village 
contained 1049 inhabitants ; in 1820, 1502 ; in 1822, they 
were estimated at 2700 ; in 1824, the population amounted to 
4274; in 1825, to 5271 ; and, in 1827, to 10,818, 

Rochester contains a great number of fine dwellings and 
stores, with several splendid public edifices. Among the pub- 
lic buildings are a Court House, Jail, Market, and six Church- 
es. Several of the latter are costly and elegant structures. 
The village contains an immense water-power, which is ex- 
tensively applied to the purposes of manufacture. There are 
10 large flour mills, which make annually 200,000 barrels of 
flour. About 9,000,000 feet of lumber are here sawed annu- 
ally. The present population is estimated at about 12,000. 
The village has been created by the Western canal, which 
passes through it, and has grown up with so much rapidity, 
that its future prosperity and importance will hardly admit of 
an estimate. 

The aqueduct, at this place, over the Genesee, is one of 

the finest works on the course of the canal ; and is no less 

remarkable for its usefulness than for its architectural beauty 

and strength. It is borne across the river's channel on 10 

30* 



354 HISTORY OF NEW YORII. 

arches of hewn stone. The river dashes rapidly along be- 
neath, while boats, with goods and passengers, glide safely 
above. 

Broofdyn is an opulent and populous village, in the town of 
that name, situated on Long Island, opposite, and three fourths 
of a mile from the city of New York. It occupies an elevated 
position, and, with the adjacent country, presents a great vari- 
ety of highly beautiful and elegant views. It is among the old 
est settlements in the state, and has long been a place of very 
considerable population and business. It contains near 700 
houses, four churches, and some extensive manufactories. 
The whole population of the town of Brooklyn, in 1820, was 
7175, and has, since that period, been considerably augmented. 
The village is now in a flourishing condition. 

Buffalo, situated on the Niagara river, at the east end of 
lake Erie, is one of the largest and most flourishing villages 
in the state. It occupies a gentle acclivity, rising from the 
immediate vicinity of the lake. It was burned by the British 
in 1814, and has since been rebuilt in a superior style of ele- 
gance. The principal street runs along the ridge of the 
hill, looking out upon lake Erie to the horizon, and is orna- 
mented with several fine blocks of brick stores and handsome , 
dwelling houses, together with several public buildings. A 
large piece of ground has been left in the middle of the town 
for a public square, where several streets meet, and which it 
is intended to ornament with public edifices. A fine prome- 
nade has also been laid out on the brow of the hill towards 
the lake. This is called the Terrace, and affords a pleasant 
view upon the lake, the harbor and the canal. In 1825, 
Buffalo contained 6000 inhabitants. The business and 
population of the place are rapidly increasing, and, from its 
superior commercial advantages, it must ultimately become 
one of the most important inland towns in America. 

Lockport, the county town of Niagara county, is situated 
on the Western canal, 63 miles west of Rochester. It has 
been created by the canal, and has grown up with very great 
rapidity. It has a valuable water-power, and is a place of 
large and increasing business. The population, in 1823,,, 



CITIES AND VILLAGES. 355 

amounted to 1458, and has since that period been greatly 
augmented. Its future prospects cannot at this time be safely 
anticipated. Its local advantages must, however, render it a 
place of no small importance. The canal here descends from 
the Mountain Ridge to the Genesee Level, by five double com- 
bined locks, each of 12 feet descent. These locks are among 
the most interesting vi^orks on the canal. 

Lansmgbw'gh, situated in the south-west part of the town- 
ship of that name, on the east bank of the Hudson, and three 
miles above Troy, is a handsome and flourishing village. It 
is regularly laid out into squares, by spacious and convenient 
streets. It contains about 300 houses, a Bank, five Churches, 
and two buildings occupied by an Academy. It is a place of 
considerable business, and has 1650 inhabitants. 

Canandaigua is situated on a gentle acclivity at the north 
end of the lake, and near the centre of the township of that 
name. It is the capital of Ontario county, and one of the 
most interesting of the western villages. The principal ave- 
nue, rising from the lake and extending along the ridge of the 
hill, is spacious, and contains many elegant buildings. Near 
the centre of the village is an open area of liberal extent, 
commanding a beautiiul view of the adjacent scenery, and 
finely ornamented with public buildings. Among the public 
edifices are a Court House, Jail, three Churches, State Arsenal, 
and an Academy. In the beauty of its position, and the style 
of its buildings, it is not probably surpassed by any village of 
equal extent in the Union It is located in the midst of a fer- 
tile tract of country, and is a place of much business. It 
contains about 2000 inhabitants, and is now in a flourishing 
condition. 

Auburn, situated on the outlet of the Owasco lake, and 
near the eastern boundary of the township of Aurelius, is a 
pleasant village, and the capital of Cayuga county. It con- 
tains about 150 houses, many of which are elegant, with the 
county buildings, and other public edifices. Of these the 
most important is the State Prison. This was erected in 1817 
at an expense of $300,000 ; and is probably the best con- 
structed building of the kind in the United States. Auburn is 
a place of some business, and contains 1800 inhabitants. 



356 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

Geneva is a beautiful and flourishing village, situated at the 
north end and near the outlet of Seneca lake. It occupies a 
pleasant elevation, commanding an extensive view of the lake 
and surrounding country. It contains above -500 houses, 
shops and stores, vv^ith several handsome Churches, a College, 
and an Academy. It is a place of much business and enter- 
prise, and has about ISOO inhabitants. 

Sacketfs Harbor is situated on the south-west side of Black 
River bay, eight miles from lake Ontario, and is a place of, 
considerable business. It was founded in 1801, and, during 
the late war, was an important military and naval position. 
It has a fine harbor, and commands an extensive trade upon 
the lake. It contains about 2000 inhabitants, and is now in 
a prosperous condition. 

Pouglikcepsie, situated in the town of that name, on the east 
bank of the Hudson, and 74 miles above New York, is a vil- 
lage of considerable importance, and the capital of Dutchess 
county. The inequality of the surface along the river's bank 
gives the place a singular and romantic appearance. The 
village contains the County Buildings, a Bank, an Academy, 
five Churches, and about 600 houses, stores and shops. It is 
a place of some business, and contains about 2700 inhabitants. 

Sec. IV. Agriculture. Agricultural pursuits 
constitute the employment of an important and 
highly respectable portion of the community. 
A large part of the state presents a productive 
soil ; and the manner of cultivation, which has 
already attained to a high degree of perfection, 
is rapidly improving. In 1819, the subject re- 
ceived the attention of the legislature ; and an 
act was passed, making provision for the forming 
of county societies, for the promotion of agri- 
culture and household manufactures, and the 
establishment of a Board of Agriculture, to con- 
sist of the presidents or delegates of the county 



AGRICULTURE. 357 

societies. Ten thousand dollars per annum, for 
four years, was appropriated to the use of these 
societies, and one thousand to the Board of 
Agriculture. 

Under this act a large number of ^cieties 
were formed. The board was organized, and 
published its first volume of ''Memoirs''' in 1821. 
The success that attended these efibrts induced 
the leo'islature to extend the act to an additional 
term of four years. The societies annually ex- 
pend, in premiums, double the amount appropri- 
ated from the treasury. Annual Fairs are held 
in each of the counties, for the exhibition and 
sale of products, ^and for competition in the 
manual operations .of agriculture. The publica- 
tions of the board, comprising essays on husban- 
dry, and the results of experiments in various 
parts of the state, are highly respectable, and 
tend rapidly to accelerate the march of im- 
provement. 

About three fourths of the entire poj)ulation of the state are 
engaged in agricultural pursuits. Six million acres of land, 
less than one fourth part of the area of the state, are at present 
under improvement. Wheat is the most important product, 
and is exported in large quantities. Indian corn, rye, and 
barley, are extensively cultivated. The number of cattle, 
according to the state census of 1821, was 1,219,000; horses, 
263,000; sheep, 2,153,000.* As connected with agriculture, 
may also be mentioned the fabrics of household manufacture. 
The quantity of cloth of various kinds manufactured in fami- 
lies, in 1S21, amounted to above 10,000,000 yards. 



* The round numbers are here giA^en. For the exact numbers, see 
Spafford's Gazetteer, published in 1824. 



358 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

Sec. v. Manufactures. Notwithstanding the 
competition of foreign manufactures, those of 
New York may be said to be in a flourishing 
condition. Iran and salt are among the most 
important articles ; and the latter constitutes a 
valuable source of revenue to the state. In ad- 
dition to the cloths made in families, extensive 
cotton and woollen manufactories furnish an: 
immense quantity of these fabrics. The man- 
ufacture of flour is carried on to a great extent 
in most parts of the state, and, in value, prob- 
ably exceeds that of any other article. 

Among the articles of manufacture may like- 
wise be enumerated malt, and distilled liquors, 
leather, cordage, refined sugar, glass, paper, 
hats, and oil. In the newly settled parts of the 
state, large quantities of pot and pearl ashes 
are annually made. The manufacture of por- 
celain has been recently commenced in the city 
of New York. 

Owing to the imperfect returns, no very accurate statements 
can be made of the extent of manufacturing establishments, 
or the amount of articles manufactured. According to the re- 
turns of 1823, the capital engaged in manufactures was about 
88,000,000, which must be far below the real amount. There 
were, in IS'23, above 10,000 hydraulic machines employed on 
tlie streams which flow through the various sections of the 
state. Of these, 2140 were flouring mills; 184 cotton and 
woollen factories; 4321 sawmills; 139 oil mills; 993 fulling 
mills; and 1235 carding machines. There were 184 iron 
works, 1060 distilleries, and 1227 asheries. 

Sec YI. Commerce. New York has a widely 
extended commerce, which has of late been 
greatly augmented by the communications with 



CANALS. 359 

the northern and western lakes. Its exports are 
more than those of any other state ; and its im- 
ports from foreign countries constitute above 
one fifth of the entire imports of the United 
States. The amount of shipping employed, 
including that on the river and lakes, and exclu- 
sive of small craft on the canals, is estimated at 
300,000 tons. 

The most important articles exported are, wheat, pot and 
pearl ashes, Indian corn, rye, beef, pork and lumber. A con- 
siderable portion of these exports are derived from the western 
parts of New England, and the eastern part of New Jersey. 
Since the completion of the western canal, the commerce of a 
large part of Ohio, Upper Canada, and the country bordering 
on the great lakes, has been conducted through New York. 
Large quantities of iron and salt are annually exported for the 
consumption of the neighboring states. During the year 
1827, 30,000 barrels of salt were shipped to the westward, 
from Buffalo. , 

Sec. VII. Canals. The improvement of the 
internal navigation of the state, by means of 
canals and locks, was among the earliest enter- 
prises of its inhabitants. These works were, 
however, limited in extent, and confined to the 
improvement of natural streams. The canal 
and locks at Little Falls, on the Mohawk river, 
were completed in 1795 ; and those at Wolf Rift, 
with the canal connecting the Mohawk with 
Wood creek and the Oneida lake, in 1797. 
Similar works were subsequently constructed 
on the Seneca river, at Seneca falls and Wa- 
terloo. 

In 1810, the public attention began to be 
directed to more extensive improvements. The 



360 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

works now contemplated embraced a canal 
communication between the navigable waters 
of the Hudson and the western and northern 
lakes. The enterprise was undertaken by the 
state, and a system of energetic measures adopt- 
ed for its prosecution. The Erie and Champlain 
canals, connecting the waters of those lakes 
with the Hudson, were commenced in 1817. 
The Erie canal was completed in 1825, at an 
expense of about ^8,000,000, and is one of the 
most stupendous and magnificent works of the 
kind ever executed. The Champlain canal was 
completed in 1823. 

The Oswego canal, 38 miles in length, com- 
mences at Syracuse, and terminates at the mouth 
of Oswego river on lake Ontario. The Seneca 
canal commences at the village of Geneva, 
and, running easterly 2 miles to the outlet of 
the Seneca lake, continues down the outlet 13 
miles to the Montezuma marshes ; thence along 
the western margin of those marshes, 5 miles, 
to the Erie canal. These works are lateral 
branches of the Erie canal, and have been sub- 
sequently executed. 

The Erie canal, extending from Albany to Buffalo, is 40 
feet wide on the surface, 28 on the bottom, 4 feet deep, and . 
362 miles in length, exclusive of side cuts and navigable feed- 
ers. The locks, 83 in number, are 15 feet wide between the 
gates, and 90 feet in length, and are constructed of the most 
imperishable stone, laid in water cement. The altitude of the 
water at the termination of the canal at Buffalo is 565 feet 
above that of the Hudson at Albany. The total of ascent and 
depression overcome by means of lockage, throughout the 
whole extent, is 688 feet. A tow-path is constructed on the. 



CANALS. 361 

bank of the canal, which is elevated from 2 to 4 feet above the 
surface of the water. 

The course of the Erie canal, commencing at the Albany Ba- 
sin, is along the bank of the Hudson to Watervliet, where it 
receives a navigable feeder from the Mohawk, constituting the 
communication with the Northern or Champlain canal. 
Thence it proceeds along the bank of the Mohawk, and crosses 
that river above the Cahoes Falls, by an aqueduct 1188 feet in 
length, supported by 26 piers. It then continues about 12 
miles on the north bank, after which it recrosses the Mohawk, 
4 miles below Schenectady, by an aqueduct 748 feet in 
length, 25 feet above the water of the river, and supported by 
16 piers. Thence it winds along the south bank of the river, 
through Schenectady and Utica to Rome. At Little Falls, the 
Erie is connected with the old canal, by a stone aqueduct 

' across the Mohawk, 170 feet in length, and supported by 3 
arches. The Utica Level, 69^ miles in length, without a 
single lock, commences at Frankfort, 9 miles east of Utica, 
and, proceeding through that village, Whitestown, Rome, Ve- 
rona, Sullivan and Manlius, terminates in the town of Salina, 
and near the village of Syracuse. During this course, it pass- 
es the Sauquait, 'Oriskany, Oneida, Canastota, Chitteningo, 
and Limestone creeks, by aqueducts of various extent. It 
then proceeds through the village of Syracuse, and crosses the 
Skeneateles outlet, by a stone aqueduct, supported by 3 
arches ; and the Owasco creek, by an aqueduct of 4 arches, 
to Montezuma; thence through the Cayuga Marshes, the vil- 
lages of Clyde and Lyons, and, passing Mud creek, by a 
stone aqueduct, 90 feet in length, continues through Palmyra, 
Pittsford and Rochester, to Lockport. At Pittsford, it crosses 
the Irondequot creek, on a stupendous embankment, 72 feet 
in height. At Rochester, it crosses the Genesee river, by a 
stone aqueduct, of superior architecture, 530 feet in length. 
Between Rochester and Lockport, the canal passes several 
deep ravines, by aqueducts and embankments. At Lockport 

^is an ascent of 60 feet, overcome by five double combined 
locks, to the Mountain Ridge, through which the canal passes, 
by a deep excavation, to the Tonewanda creek. It then en- 
ters the creek, and continues along its channel to its mouth, 
31 



362 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

where a dam is erected 4^ feet in height, and proceeds along 
the shore of the Niagara river and lake Erie, to its termination 
at Buffalo. 

Connected with the canal, a pier of great length has been 
constructed in the Niagara river, at Black Rock, for the pur- 
pose of forming a harbor at that place, and supplying water 
for the summit level. The water of lake Erie continues in 
the canal to Montezuma. Thence there is an ascent to the 
Jordan summit, from which the canal descends to the level of 
Syracuse. It then ascends to the Utica summit, from which 
is a continuous descent to the Hudson. 

The canal debt, in 1826, amoiinted to $7,602,000; tlu 
receipts of tolls on the canal the same year, to $750,000 ; and 
the revenue from salt, and auction duties, belonging to the 
canal fund, to $420,000. The tolls, in 1827, amounted to 
$859,000. It is estimated, that the revenues arising from 
tolls and the canal fund will, besides paying the interest, 
extinguish the canal debt in 10 years, dating from 1826. 

The Champlain canal, connecting the Erie canal and Hud- 
son's river with lake Champlain, is 71 miles in length, and 
was constructed at an expense of $875,000. Commencing 
at the junction in Watervliet, its course is northward across 
the Mohawk, which it passes, by a dam, into Waterford, and 
continues along the west bank of the Hudson to Northumber- 
land, where it enters the river. It continues in the river to 
fort Miller, where it is taken out, and carried round the falls 
on the east bank, after which it re-enters the river, and con- 
tinues in the channel to fort Edward. Here it is again taken 
out on the east bank, and proceeds through fort Edward and 
Kingsbury, to fort Anne village, where it enters Wood creek. 
Thence it continues in the channel of the creek about 6 
miles, and is then taken out on the west bank, and proceeds 
northward 5^ miles, to its termination at the village of 
Whitehall. The summit level, between fort Edward and 
fort Anne, has an elevation of 140 feet above the tide-water 
of the Hudson, and 54 above the water of lake Champlain. 
It is supplied by a feeder at fort Edward, from the waters of 
the Hudson, which are raised 27 feet by a dam across that 
stream, 900 feet in length. Connected with the canal is also 



BANKS, AND MILITIA. 363 

a dam across the Hudson, with a sloop lock, at Troy, which 
cost 892,270. The canal communicates with these works by 
a descent of three locks into the Mohawk, below the dam on 
that river, at Waterford. The tolls received on this canal, in 
1827, amounted to $72,833. 

The Delaware and Hudson canal is partly in this state. It 
commences on the Hudson, at Kingston, and proceeds in a 
south-west direction, through the valley of the Neversink 
creek, to the Delaware river. This canal will be highly im- 
portant in supplying New York with coal from the mines in 
Pennsylvania. 

Sec. VIII. Banks. There are above 40 
banks in this state, possessing a large amount 
of real and a still larger amount of nominal 
capital. In 1811, there were 15 banks, — the 
capitals of which amounted to ^11,840,000. 
Of these, 5 were in the city of New York, — 
the capitals of which amounted to ^8,050,000. 
In 1819, the aggregate capital of 30 of the banks 
in this ^ate amounted to ^24,000,000. 

Sec. IX. Militia. The militia comprises, 
with few exceptions, all the able-bodied white 
male citizens between the ages of 18 and 45 
years. The enrolled militia, at this time, amounts 
to about 150,000 men, and are well organized 
and provided with arms. Twelve arsenals are 
located in various sections of the state, and sup- 
plied with military stores. 

According to the returns of 1823, the enrolled militia at 
that time amounted to 146,709 : of these, 132,639 were in- 
fantry ; 8622 artillery ; and 5448 cavalry. They were divided 
into 27 divisions, which were subdivided into 61 brigades, 
243 regiments, and 2012 companies. The arsenals are located 
at New York, Albany, Whitehall, Plattsburgh, Elizabethtown, 



364 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

Malone, Russel, Watertown, Rome, Onondaga, Canandaigua 
and Batavia. 

Sec. X. Education and Literary Institu- 
tions, The facilities for education are in no 
country more extensively enjoyed, or more high- 
ly appreciated, than in New York. The " Re- 
gents of the University," instituted in 1787, 
constitute a corporation of 21 members, to ;| 
whom is intrusted the care of the literature of 'i 
the state. It is their duty to visit colleges, acad- 
emies and schools, and to superintend the system 
of education. They meet annually at Albany, 
and report to the legislature the state of literary 
institutions. They are authorized to incorporate 
colleges and academies, and have the direction 
and distribution of the funds appropriated to 
literary institutions. 

Six colleges, including those for physicians 
and surgeons, have been established in tfiis state, 
and liberally endowed. Columbia college, in 
the city of New York, Union college, at Sche- 
nectady, and Hamilton college, at Paris, Oneida 
county, are all useful^ and highly flourishing 
institutions. The college at Geneva has been 
recently established. The college of physicians 
and surgeons in the city of New York, is sur- 
passed by no institutiori of the kind in America ; 
that at Fairfield is highly respectable. There 
are SQ incorporated academies, located in vari- 
ous parts of the state, and about 8000 common 
schools. In these seminaries, 400,000 children 
and youth are annually educated. 



EDUCATION AND LITERARY INSTITUTIONS. 365 

Columbia College was founded in 1757, and, till the revo- 
lution, had the name of King's college. It has a president, 
five professors, a considerable library, and valuable philosoph- 
ical apparatus. This institution has been richly endowed, 
and has about 140 students. 

• Union College was incorporated by the regents of the 
university in 1794. It has a president and four professors, 
a library of above 5000 volumes, and a complete chemical and 
philosophical apparatus. The number of students is about 
250. The funds of the institution, in 1796, amounted to 
about $50,000; and, since that period, it has received, be- 
sides other grants from the legislature, a grant by lottery of 
about $90,000, 

Hamilton College was incorporated by the regents of the 
university in 1812. About $50,000 were subscribed by in- 
dividuals, and the same sum granted by the legislature to 
constitute the funds of the seminary. Since that period, the 
funds have received an addition of $50,000 by indirect grants 
of the legislature. It has three professors, two tutors, a li- 
brary of above 2000 volumes, with a good chemical and 
philosophical apparatus. It is situated in the heart of one of 
the most populous and flourishing sections of the state, and 
promises to become, at no very distant period, one of the 
most important institutions in the country. 

The Presbyterians have a Theological Seminary at Auburn ; 
the Baptists, at Hamilton ; and the Episcopal Church in the 
city of New York. Of the Incorporated Academics, Albany, 
Cayuga, Clinton, Lansingburgh, Montgomery, Dutchess, Union 
Hall, Whitesborough, Erasmus Hall, Geneva, Hudson, St. Law- 
rence, Hartwick, Middlebury, Lawville, Oxford, Pompey, Canan- 
daigua, Cambridge and Ballston are the most important. There 
are likewise a large number of Private Schools established in 
various parts of the state, many of which are highly respecta- 
ble. Above $6000, the revenue arising from the Literature 
Fund, are annually distributed, by the regents of the uni- 
versity, among the incorporated academies, in proportion 
to the number of classical students. Near $200,000, de- 
rived from the Common School Fund and district or town 
31 * 



366 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

taxes, are annually appropriated to the support of Common 
Schools.* 

Sec. XI. Religion, In New .York, the in- 
stitutions of the Christian Religion are very gen- 
erally regarded. The constitution makes no 
provision for its support, but secures to every 
man the free use and enjoyment of religious 
profession and worship, according to the dictates 
of his own conscience. The clergy are sup- 
ported by the voluntary contributions of the 
people, and are excluded from holding offices 
under the government. The principal denomi- 
nations are. General Assembly Presbyterians, 
Associate Reformed Presbyterians, Dutch Re- 
formed Presbyterians, Episcopalians, Baptists, 
Methodists, Friends and Lutherans. Above 
3000 churches are occupied by the several de- 
nominations for religious worship. 

Sec. XII. Population, New York contains a 
population, principally descended from Holland, 
Great Britain, France and Germany, of about 
1,800,000. During the early period of its histo- 
ry, the progress of population was retarded by 
the disadvantages of a location remote from the 
civilized world, and surrounded by a jealous, 
savage, and revengeful people. At the close of 
the first 50 years after its settlement, the Euro- 
pean population was only 5000; and, at the 
close of the first century, about 50,000. In 
1756, it amounted to near 100,000; and has, 
since that period, increased with astonishing 

* In 1823, the sum amounted to $182,802 25. 



CHARACTER. 367 

rapidity. In 1800, it was 586,000; in 1810, 
959,000; in 1820, 1,372,000; and in 1825, 
1,616,000. According to this ratio of increase, 
the number, in 1830, will amount to 2,000,000. 

The original Indian population has been rap- 
idly disappearing since the European settle- 
ments, and has now become extinct in most 
parts of the state. About 5000, the remains of 
the Confederated Iroquois, are all that survive 
of these once populous and powerful tribes. 
The Oneidas reside on the reservation near 
Utica ; the Senecas and Onondagas, on the 
Buffalo and Cattaraugus Creek reservations ; 
and their adopted brethren, the Tuscaroras, at 
Lewiston. The Mohawks have retired to Upper 
Canada. 

Sec. XIII. Character, The people of New 
York, consisting of emigrants, or the descend- 
ants of emigrants, from most of the European 
states, can hardly be said, at this period, to have 
established a national character. They all re- 
tain, in a greater or less degree, the distinguish- 
ing characteristics of the particular nation from 
which they originated. The Dutch, being the 
earliest settlers, imparted a bias to the others, 
which is still perceptible, and probably will long 
continue. 

New York has furnished her full proportion 
in the bright catalogue of American worthies, 
and has ever been distinguished for patriotism 
and attachment to freedom. In the progress of 
the common and liberal arts, and in developing 



368 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

and improving her natural resources, she has 
been surpassed by none of the United States. 
The activity everyw^here apparent in her cities 
and villages, the high state of cultivation, and 
the neatness and order, exhibited in most sec- 
tions of the country ; above all, the great works 
of internal improvement, which have been exe- 
cuted since the termination of the late war, 
sufficiently attest the industry and enterprise of 
her inhabitants. 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 369 



BIOGRAPHICAL, SKETCHES. 



Sketches of the Lives arid Characters of some 
distinguished Men in the Colony and State of 
Neiv York, 

GEORGE CLINTON. 

George Clinton was born in July, 1739, in the precinct of 
the highlands, in the county of Ulster, now the town of New 
Windsor, in the county of Orange. 

At an early age, he displayed that spirit of enterprise and 
energy of character, which distinguished his conduct through 
life. During the French war, he entered on board a privateer, 
which sailed from the port of New York ; and, after under- 
going great dangers and hardships, returned, and accepted 
the commission of a lieutenant, in a company commanded by 
his brother James. This company composed part of a regi- 
ment commanded by his father ; and which, united with other 
forces, under colonel Bradstreet, captured fort Frontenac, now 
Kingston, near the mouth of lake Ontario. During this expe- 
dition, captain Clinton's company signalized itself by attack- 
ing a French sloop of war, which annoyed the army in its 
descent down the lake ; and which, after a bloody engagement, 
was compelled to strike its colors. 

After this campaign, he commenced the studies preparatory 
for the legal profession, and, in 1764, was admitted to the 
bar of the supreme court. He established himself in his 
native county, where he practised with great reputation and 
success. He had previously filled the office of clerk of Ulster 
county, to which he was appointed by governor Clinton, the 
father of sir Henry Clinton. 

He was soon after chosen a member of the colonial assem- 
bly, after a violent struggle, and a formidable opposition from 
all the influence of the crown. He immediately became the 



370 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

head of the whig party in this assembly, where he continued 
usefully and actively employed until the revolution, on the 
side of the people, defying the frowns of power, spurning the 
seductions of corruption and intrigue, and displaying the re- 
sources of a powerful intellect, and the energies of undaunted 
patriotism. 

In April, 1775, he was appointed a delegate to the conti- 
nental congress, and took his seat in that body in May follow- 
ing. In January, 1776, he attended an adjourned meeting, 
having been continued in office by the provincial convention 
which assembled in New York in December of the preceding 
year. In 1776, he was also appointed brigadier-general of 
the militia of Ulster county , and, some time after, a briga- 
dier in the army of the United States. 

At the first election under the constitution of the state, he 
was chosen both governor and lieutenant-governor. On his 
acceptance of the former office, the venerable Pierre Van 
Cortlandt was elected to the latter. After having been con- 
tinued in the office of governor, by 6 triennial elections, 
for the term of 18 years, Mr. Clinton declined another election, 
and published an address to the freeholders of the state, stat- 
ing, that his respect for the republican principle of rotation in 
office would no longer permit him to fill his recent honorable 
station. 

During the revolutionary war, his situation, as chief magis- 
trate of the state of New York, owing to its exposure to the 
incursions of the enemy, was the most arduous, critical and 
important of any office in the new empire, except that of 
commander-in-chief of the army. In all the trying exigencies 
of that protracted conflict, he maintained his well-earned 
reputation for patriotism and intrepidity. The actual, as well 
as the nominal head of the state militia, he was seen at one 
period driving the enemy into the forests of the west, at 
another time meeting him on the frontier, and chastising his 
temerity. 

His energy and decision were very remarkable. At the 
conclusion of the revolutionary war, when violence against the 
lories was the order of the day, a British officer was placed on 
a cart, in the city of New York, to be tarred and feathered. 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 371 

This was the signal for violence and assassination. Governor 
Clinton, at this moment, determined in his purpose, rushed in 
among the mob with a drawn sword, and rescued the victim. 

Some years after, a furious assemblage of people collected, 
called the doctors^ mob, and raged through New York, with 
intentions to kill the physicians of that city, and pull down 
their houses, for having dug up bodies for dissection. This 
mob was inconceivably terrible, and, by their violence, intim- 
idated the local magistracy. Governor Clinton fortunately 
appeared in person, called out the militia, and restored peace 
to the city. 

After a retirement of five years from public life, Mr. Clinton 
was called by the citizens of New York to represent them in 
■ the assembly of the state. In 1801, he was again prevailed upon 
to accept of a re-election as governor, and, after continuing 
I - in that office for three years, he was elected vice-president of 
41 the United States, in which station he continued until his de- 
cease, which took place on the 20th of April, 1812, at the 
city of Washington. 

Governor Clinton's conduct was amiable in private, as it 
was dignified in public life. No man felt more powerfully the 
charities of the love of his family and associates. In all the 
vicissitudes of an eventful career, he never abandoned a faith- 
ful friend. And while he made it a sacred rule to disregard 
the claims of consanguinity in the dispensation of patronage, 
his virtuous adherents, who were connected with him by the 
kindred feelings of patriotism and the sympathies of friend- 
ship, never failed to experience the full extent of his liberality. 

As a public character, he will live in the veneration of pos- 
terity, and the progress of time will thicken the laurels that 
surround his monument. The characteristic virtues, which 
distinguished his life, appeared in full splendor in the trying 
hour of death ; and he died as he lived — without fear and 
without reproach. 



JAMES CLINTON. 

James Clinton, brother to the preceding, was born in Ulster 
county, August, 1736, and received the advantages of a supe- 



372 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

rior education. The predominant inclination of his mind was 
for a military life. After having successfully held several offi- 
ces in the militia and provincial troops, he was, in 1763, ap- 
pointed by lieutenant-governor Golden captain-commandant 
of the four companies in the pay of the province of New York, 
raised for the defence of the western frontiers of the counties 
of Ulster and Orange, and, in 1774, lieutenant-colonel of the 
militia in Ulster county. In the French war of 1756, he was 
a captain under colonel Bradstreet at the capture of fort Fron- 
tenac, and rendered important service in that expedition, par- 
ticularly by the capture of a French sloop of war on lake 
Ontario, which impeded the progress of the army. 

At the commencement of the revolution in 1775, he was 
appointed, by the continental congress, colonel of the 3d regi- 
ment of the New York forces. He was, the same year, ap- i 
pointed, by the provincial congress of New York, colonel of^i 
the militia foot in Ulster county; and, in March, 1776, by the^; 
continental congress, colonel of the 2d battahon of New York ; 
troops ; and, in August, a brigadier-general in the army of the 
United States, In this station he continued during the greater 
part of the war^ having the command of the New York line, or 
the troops of this state, and, at its close, was constituted a 
major-general. In 1775, his regiment composed part of the 
army which invaded Canada under Montgomery; and, in 
1777, he commanded at fort Clinton, which, with fort Mont- 
gomery, constituted the defence of the Hudson river against 
the ascent of the enemy. When these forts were stormed by 
the enemy under sir Henry Clinton, general James Clinton, 
with his brother, then governor, made a desperate, but ineffec- 
tual resistance. During a considerable part of the war, he 
was stationed at Albany, where he commanded in the north- 
ern department, a place of high responsibility, and requiring 
uncommon vigilance and constant exertion. He took part in 
the expedition against the Indians in 1779, and was present 
at the capture of Cornwallis at Yorktown, where he distin- 
guished himself by his usual intrepidity. His last appearance 
in arms was on the evacuation of the city of New York, 
where he bid the commander-in-chief a final and affectionate 
farewell, and retired to his estates. 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 373 

He was, however, frequently called from his retirement by 
the unsolicited voice of his fellow-citizens. He was appointed 
a commissioner to adjust the boundary line between Pennsyl- 
vania and New York, and was selected by the legislature for 
an interesting mission to settle controversies respecting lands 
in the west. He represented his native county in the assem- 
bly, and in the convention that adopted the present constitution 
of the United States. He was elected, without opposition, a 
senator from the middle district, and a delegate to the conven- 
tion of 1801, for the purpose of amending the state constitu- 
tion, all of which trusts he executed with integrity and ability, 
and to the perfect satisfaction of his constituents. His tem- 
per was mild and affectionate ; but, when roused by unprovok- 
ed insult, or unmerited injury, he exhibited extraordinary 
energy. He died in December, 1812, in the 76th year of his^ 
age, and was interred in the family burial place, at Littfe 
Britain, in Orange county.* 



DE WITT CLINTON. 

De Witt Clinton was born in 1769, at the residence of his 
father, general James Clinton, New Windsor, Orange county, 
in this state, and received his early education at a grammar 
school in a neighboring village, called Stonefield, under the 
care of the reverend John Moffat, from which he was transfer- 
red, at the age of 13, to an academy at Kingston, then con- 
ducted by Mr. John Addison. He remained here until he 
was prepared to enter the junior class of Columbia college in 
1784, and was graduated a bachelor of arts, at the first public 
commencement held in this institution after the close of the 
revolutionary war, being adjudged worthy to receive the honor 
of delivering the Latin salutatory address — an honor always 
conferred on the best classic scholar of the year. 

He commenced the study of the law in 1786, with Samuel 
Jones, esquire, a celebrated counsellor, second to none of his 
profession for profound and extensive knowledge. Mr. Clinton 
received the usual licenses or degrees in the law, but was 

* Lord. 
32 



374 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

abruptly called off from the further cultivation of the pursuit, 
by circumstances arising from the situation of political affairs 
in the state of New York. The germs of the two great par- 
ties, which have since divided the country, were, at that time, 
beginning to appear. His uncle, George Clinton, then govern- 
or of the state, was assailed by a combination of almost all the 
talents of that section of the country ; and pamphlets and 
newspaper essays were poured upon the public with unrestrain- 
ed profusion. Mr. Clinton, relinquishing every other pursuit, 
entered warmly and exclusively into the vindication of the 
conduct and principles of his uncle ; and it is believed that 
the greater part of the controversial politics on that side was 
managed by him during this period of turbulence and irritation. 
He continued with his uncle, as his secretary, during his ad- 
ministration, which ended in 1795. The governor declined a 
re-election, not only on account of the ill state of his health, 
but from his observance also of the republican rule of rotation 
in office. Mr. Clinton had been honored, while with his ven- 
erable uncle, with the office of secretary of the university, 
and of the board of fortifications of New York. Upon the 
retirement of the governor, Mr. Clinton also withdrew from 
public life. But his efforts, as an individual, in rallying and 
supporting the party of which he might then have been con- 
sidered the leader, were not for a moment remitted. To do 
this with effect, however, it seemed necessary that he should 
be placed in a public station ; and, accordingly, 1798, he was 
elected a member of the assembly of this state from the city 
of New York, and, in 1800, was chosen a senator from the 
southern district, and a member of the council of appointment. 
From the senate of this state, by a joint ballot of both branch- 
es of the legislature, he was elected to a seat in the senate of 
the United States, where he took an active interest in the con- 
cerns of the country, in relation to the differences then existing 
with the Spanish authorities at New Orleans. His continu- 
ance in that august body, however, was short, as, on receiving 
the appointment of mayor of New York, in October, 1803, it 
became necessary that he should resign it, the duties of the 
two offices being by law incompatible. In the office of mayor, 
be was continued by annual appointment until March, 1807, 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 375 

when, by reason of one of those changes of party which occa- 
sionally occur, and are more in appearance than in reahty, and 
•not inappropriately designated by the term political mirage^ 
he was superseded, and remained out of office eleven months, 
as he was appointed mayor again by the council, in February, 
1808. His term of office, at this time, was a little more than 
two years, when another partial party change again removed 
him, and he remained out of office another term of eleven 
months. In February, 1811, he was again, and for the third 
time, appointed mayor, and he continued in office by yearly 
appointment until the 20th of March, 1815, a term which in- 
cluded the whole period of the late war. It is worthy of 
remark, that a political change in the state, in 1813, caused an 
almost entire change in its civil commissions, and, in conform- 
ity with that rule of proscription which seemed to have as- 
sumed as its basis, that so soon as a party were in a minority, 
every individual belonging to it was disqualified for any official 
trust, Mr. Clinton would have been removed from office ; but 
60 great was the measure of confidence which the public re- 
posed in him, that his political opponents petitioned their own 
friends for his re-appointment in place of his removal, so that 
the virulence of party was disarmed by a consciousness of his 
peculiar fitness for the station. 

During the last term of his mayoralty, he was elected lieu- 
tenant-governor of the state, in the place of the honorable 
John Broome, deceased, and he continued to officiate both as 
president of the senate and mayor of the city for two years, 
viz, from 1811 to 1813. In the spring of 1815, he was again 
superseded, and deprived of all his public employments except 
that of canal commissioner. In 1817, Mr. Clinton was elect- 
ed the governor of the state, and, at the expiration of the 
term for which he was chosen, viz. 1820, he was re-elected, 
and served till the adoption of the new state constitution, 
which took effect from the commencement of the year 1823, 
and shortened the ordinary term of office by six months. In 
the autumn of 1822, he declined another nomination, and re- 
turned to the pursuits of private life, holding only the office 
of a canal commissioner ; from which he was removed in the 
spring oi 1824, by a vote of the legislature, which the people 



376 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

rebuked in a most emphatic manner, six months afterwards, by 
again electing him their governor, and by the largest majority 
ever known in this state, in a contested election ; and he con- 
tinued to exercise the office to the last hour of his valua- 
ble life. 

As a citizen, useful, active, and meritorious, he was second, 
probably, to no man in the United States. — In the great and 
growing state and city of which he was a native and resident, 
no man has stamped his name, his genius and his services 
on more monuments of public munificence and private 
utility. 

His mind and cast of thought were of the finest order, 
partaking less of the Machiavelian than the Roman school, 
and exhibiting a greater portion of innate dignity and the forti^ 
ter in re than is, at all times, convenient or advantageous to 
a candidate for popular suffrage. In every station, he distin- 
guished himself by his talents, his integrity and his despatch 
of business. His reading was multifarious, indefatigable, 
well-directed and profitable ; for his judgment digested, and 
his memory retained, the collected knowledge of every 
hour allowed, from his numerous avocations, for study and 
reflection. 

In religion, he was neither a bigoted sectarian, nor scoffer 
at the superstitious. Reverencing the great principles and 
duties of rational* piety, he cherished the dictates of devotion 
in all, and respected the tenets and honest singularities of the 
most peculiar. — Establishing no exclusive denomination over 
others, he would tolerate every class of sincere professors, 
and protect them in a liberal exercise of their ideas of divine 
worship. His charities have principally kept pace with his 
ability ; his pecuniary aid, and his friendly advice and assist- 
ance, were always at the service of indigence, virtue, benevo- 
lence, literature, the arts, and public utility. If the circle of 
his confidential associates was contracted, it was not because 
he discarded attachments when they ceased to be profitable. 
In his intercourse with the various classes of his fellow-citi- 
zens, to which his universal knowledge of business called him, 
his suavity of disposition and urbanity of manners banishe-d 
every idea of fastidious reserve and austerity of demeano>rj^ 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 377 

and rendered his presence desirable and his co-operation sought 
for on every humane and laudable occasion.* 

The following extract from the memoirs of De Witt Clinton, 
by doctor Hosac, will be read with interest. 

*' His person was tall, exceeding six feet in height, of a fine 
form, and well proportioned. In his earlier days, he was re- 
markable for his thin and slender make; but, in the latter 
part of his life, his frame became expanded, and, in consequence 
of lameness from an accidental injury, by which he was de- 
prived of his customary exercise, he acquired a fulness of 
habit, which predisposed him to the diseases that ultimately 
supervened, and, in their consequences, led to his dissolution. 
His carriage was elevated ; his movements deliberate and dig- 
nified, sometimes manifesting great earnestness, but never 
precipitancy. 

" His head was well formed, and particularly distinguished 
for the great height and breadth of his forehead ; his hair 
was brown ; his complexion brilliant ; his nose finely propor- 
tioned, and of the Grecian form ; his lip thin, and of that pe- 
culiar configuration that some critics have deemed indicative 
of eloquence. 

*'■ His eyes were of a dark hazel color, but peculiarly quick 
and expressive ; sometimes indicating all the playfulness of 
the most vivid imagination ; upon other occasions, moistened 
with a tear, displaying the most tender emotion that can weigh 
upon the heart ; but wherl a sense of injury or wrong called 
for redress, the same eye would flash the fire of indignation 
in expressing the powerful feelings that were then passing 
through his mind. The muscles of his face, especially when 
exercised in conversation, or in public speaking, were strongly 
•marked, and exhibited the impulse and energy of the soul that 
animated them ; furnishing ample illustration of the truth, that 
while the bony configuration of the head may exhibit the orig- 
inal capacity and propensities of the individual, the eye, and 
the muscles composing the soft features, alone indicate the 
activity and power actually exercised by the mind : as the 

* Delaplaine's Repository. 

32 * 



378 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

beautiful sculpture of the vase is only displayed in perfection 
when lighted from within, so do the external movable features 
of the human form exhibit the animating principle that gives 
to them their expression and intelligence ; in these alone the 
character of the man is delineated. The clay and the canvass 
of the most eminent artists of our country have frequently been 
employed to convey the image of his person for the gratifica- 
tion of his numerous friends, and the different public institu- 
tions which he has created, and whose interests he has pro- 
moted by his public services and his private benefactions. 

" Mr. Clinton was as amiable in his private, as he was dignified 
in his public life. His great intellectual powers and attainments 
were adorned with a corresponding moral character, pure and 
unsullied. Althoucrh his life has been dedicated to the interests 
of his country, and expended in her service, he has left his 
numerous family in a state of comparative dependence. Like 
Hamilton, his illustrious predecessor in the hearts of his coun- 
trymen, although placed in situations where he had an op- 
portunity of acquiring great wealth, and that without the least 
imputation upon his integrity, he preferred to forego these 
advantages, and to leave, as a legacy to his children, his un- 
sullied integrity and poverty, in preference to wealth, and the 
possibility of a suspicion, that he may have acquired it by any 
act which could bear the construction of a sordid desire to 
render his office tributary to his private benefit, at the expense 
of the public good. 

" By his enemies, he was pronounced proud and ambitious. 
He was proud, but his was not the pride that is usually under- 
stood as the synonyme of vanity ; it was the consciousness of 
the merit and the powers he possessed, the purity of the 
principles by which he was governed, and of the deeds he had. 
done ; vanity knows no such merit, nor is entitled to those 
claims. 

" He, too, was ambitious ; but it was that ambition which is 
ever identified with virtue, and never associated but with 
virtuous deeds : the object of that ambition was his country^s 
welfare : true, he aspired to the high places and honors in the 
gift of his fellow-citizens ; but it was to extend the horizon 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 379 

of his usefulness ; and he never sought them but as the reward 
of merit, and of services rendered. 

" During all the severity and most violent spirit of party 
contention, his enemies never said aught to call in question 
the unsullied purity of his private deportment. In the do- 
mestic character of Mr. Clinton, we are called upon to admire 
his amiable temper, and the tender attachment he manifested 
to the members of his family, not excepting his domestics, 
who were uniformly treated by him with feeling and courtesy, 
and who, in return, were always devoted to their kind and 
benevolent protector. 

" The affectionate intercourse and playful fondness he ever 
indulged towards his children, and the inordinate sensibilities 
and sufferings which he experienced from the bereavements 
he had occasion to sustain, also evince the purity and gentle- 
ness of his domestic life. 

" The closino: scenes of his illustrious life merit our reofard. 
Having been the fellow-student of Mr. Clinton when at college, 
having been his physician from the time of his first marriage 
in 1795, and, during that period, been honored by his unin- 
terrupted friendship, which has ever been that of an affection- 
ate brother, I have been enabled to become familiarly acquainted 
with his constitutional peculiarities and temperament : these, 
it may be remarked, were of a nature so vigorous and excel- 
lent, that he enjoyed a greater exemption from disease than 
falls to the lot of most men. As already intimated, an accident 
some years since occurred, by which, to a certain extent, he 
was necessarily deprived of his accustomed exercise. Although 
temperate in the extreme in his habits of living, he soon be- 
came plethoric, at the same time that his confinement render- 
ed him sensitive to the changes of the atmosphere. In the 
autumn of 1827, he was attacked with a catarrhal affection of 
the throat and chest. As is generally the case with those of a 
vigorous constitution, and who have long enjoyed uninterrupt- 
ed health, he was impatient of the restraints which sickness 
imposes, and, to a degree, disregarded his disease, and, I might 
say, culpably omitted to employ the active means necessary for 
his relief. The result was a congestion of the heart and 
lungs, which ended in an effusion into the cavities of those 



^0 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

viscera, attended with a corresponding deposit in the cellular 
membrane of the lower extremities. 

" During my last visit to Albany, the week immediately preced- 
ing his dissolution, I was very much surprised at the change 
which had taken place in the state of his health, and confiden- 
tially communicated to his ehlest son, and to some of his 
connexions and friends, his imminently alarming situation : 
even, too, at this period, he was daily taking bodily exercise, 
performing with his characteristic alacrity and energy his official 
duties at the capitol, and his mind directed to every object 
except his health and his own immediate condition, of which 
he was ever too regardless, and at this time totally un- 
mindful. 

" Unprepared for these circumstances, and, indeed, told, 
upon my arrival in Albany, that he was recovering his health, 
which had been impaired, my feelings of surprise and pain, 
when I took my seat at his side, will be readily imagined : his 
anxious respiration, his anhelation upon the slightest motion, 
his livid countenance, his irregular and intermitting pulse, 
his swelling limbs, all indicated the dropsical, and, perhaps, 
organic affection of the heart and larger vessels, and at once 
pointed to the fatal issue thus confidently predicted. 

*'On the Friday preceding his death, after a long conversation 
I held with him in his library, I bade him a last farewell, 
under the fullest conviction, as I confidentially expressed to 
his more immediate friends, that I should never see Mr. 
Clinton more. 

"On the Monday following, the 11th of February, he per- 
formed his ordinary duties at the capitol ; rode a few miles 
into the country with his family ; returned to town ; met some 
friends at dinner, and afterwards, as was his habit, retired to 
his study for the transaction of business, and his accustomed 
literary pursuits. While sitting in his library, he was sudden- 
ly seized with a sense of oppression and stricture across the 
chest : he spoke to his son, sitting near him, who was then 
writing, performing some duty that had been directed by his 
father, described to him the distressful, and, as he feared, fa- 
tal sensation he experienced. Medical aid was instantly called 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. SBl 

for. By the direction of his son, some drink was given him. 
He walked in the hall, but soon returned to his chair in the 
library ; the hand of death was upon him ; his head fell upon 
his breast. A physician arrived, but too late : all efforts, 
though unremittingly continued for some hours, to recall his 
parting spirit, proved unavailing : sense, consciousness, intel- 
ligence, had fled for ever : Clinton was no more. The heart- 
rending event was communicated to his agonized family ; and, 
with the rapidity of an electric shock, pervaded the city ; the 
house of mourning was instantly surrounded by his neighbors 
and numerous friends, who could scarcely credit the reality 
of his death. On the succeeding day, excepting the measures 
of respect for his memory and preparation for the funeral rites, 
all business was suspended : the legislative body, the nu- 
merous public institutions, literary, benevolent, commercial, 
all partake of the general gloom ; their doors are closed ; all 
unite in the universal lamentation ; all, not excepting those 
who had been his political opponents, are now emulous to 
manifest their love and respect for his memory ; to unite in 
expressions of the loss they had sustained, and in demonstra- 
tions of gratitude for his invaluable and disinterested services. 
The funeral obsequies are prepared ; his remains are conveyed 
to the tomb, amid all the solemnities that respond to the deep 
sorrow with which every heart in the community is afflicted 
by this dispensation of Providence. 

" To conclude : if the possession of strong native powers 
of mind, and those highly cultivated by extensive attainments 
in the different departments of human knowledge ; if an in- 
nate spirit of patriotism, quickened and directed by an ac- 
quaintance with the various interests of his country, and a 
life devoted to the unceasing performance of public duty, and 
expended in the service of his native state, entitle their pos- 
sessor to respectful notice, Mr. Clinton presents the strongest 
claims, not only to the affections of his countrymen, but to a 
distinguished place among the sages, statesmen and benefac- 
tors of the American republic. It is in the intellectual as in the 
natural world, although the expanse above is studded with an 
infinity of bodies, shedding and diffusing their portion of iight, 
& certain number of greater magnitude and brilliancy (^qxs^ 



382 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

mand the more exclusive vision of the beholder, and are so 
many suns communicating their effulgence and influence to 
other and distant worlds. In like manner, there are some 
intellectual luminaries much more distinguished than are the 
ordinary sources of light and knowledge. The Grecian and 
Roman republics had their constellations of illustrious men — 
Themistocles and Epaminondas, Cincinnatus, Fabricius, and 
the Scipios. England has had her Lockes and her New- 
tons, her Chathams and her Cannings. And young as our 
own republic yet is, her galaxy is already brightened with 
illustrious names. It were injustice not to assign a like ele- 
vation to the transcendent mind of Mr. Clinton, whose name, 
associated with those of Washington, Hamilton, Franklin, 
Adams, Rittenhouse, Jefferson, Fulton, and other American 
worthies, will ever be identified with the existence of our 
country, and transmitted with increasing lustre to the latest 
posterity." 



THOMAS ADDIS EMMET. 

Thomas Addis Ejnmet was born in Cork, Ireland, 
about 1765, ten years before the revolution which separated 
this country from the British dominion. He was educated at 
the university of Dublin at an early period of life, and design- 
ed by his father for the profession of medicine. He was 
accordingly educated with this view, and entered on his medi- 
cal studies in Edinburgh, Scotland, In completing his studies, 
Mr. Emmet visited many of the most celebrated schools on 
the continent, and travelled into Italy, to the banks of the 
Tiber, and the city of the seven hills, and passed through 
Germany. At the termination of his studies, a desolatmg 
misfortune occurred to his family, by the death of his elder 
brother, a member of the Irish bar, and a person of whom 
Mr. Emmet always speaks as one of the first men that Ireland 
ever produced. This calamity changed the mind of Mr. 
Emmet's father as to the course of life previously designed 
for his son ; and, being determined to have one lawyer in his - 
family, he desired Thomas Addis to go to the bar, to which 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 383 

he cheerfully consented. He then went to London, and read 
two years in the temple, occasionally attended the courts at 
Westminster, and often heard Erskine in the noblest displays 
of his eloquence. From thence he returned to his native 
land, was admitted to the bar, and commenced his practice in 
Dublin, the future scene of his fame and his sufferings. 

Mr. Emmet very soon rose to distinction at the Irish bar. 
He rode the circuit, and commanded a full share of business 
and confidence. He was the circuit and term companion of 
Curran, and even in Ireland, if I may credit the information 
of several Irish gentlemen, was his superior in talents, legal 
attainments and general information. But while fame and 
wealth were attending his ardent efforts at the bar, and the 
proudest seats of office and honor seemed not too high for his 
capacity and his aspirations, the gloom that overclouded his 
country — her long past sufferings — the dark and cheerless 
prospect that opened upon her destinies, engrossed the con- 
stant thoughts of all her patriots, and commanded the intense 
contemplation of every intelligent friend of his native soil. 
The French Revolution had burst forth on Europe like a 
volcano. It rent asunder the political relations which had 
endured for ages, tore up ancient institutions by the roots, and 
overturned the most arbitrary throne on the continent, if we 
except that of the emperor of all the Russias. It was hailed 
in Ireland as the day-spring of hope and freedom, and diffused 
over that green and beautiful island a silent but enthusiastic 
expectation of deliverance. The keen hostility which sub- 
sisted between France and Great Britain induced the former 
to cast her eyes on Ireland, although before, and about this 
time, many Irish agents of great talents and influence, had no 
doubt passed over to France, and urged her fluctuating gov- 
ernment to give countenance and aid to an entire revolution in 
their country. Every pledge of support was made by the 
government of France. The Irish patriots acted v/ith great 
independence and prudence. They would not consent that 
France should have any control over, or any participation in, 
the future government of Ireland. A certain number of 
troops were to land on the Irish coast, and to be united with 
the patriot forces. 



384 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

The course pursued by France is recorded in history, and 
well known. She held out fair promises, but never acted with 
any system or resolution. The landing at Killala was a mis- 
erable effort. In fact, France did nothing for Ireland, but 
leave a curse on her deserted and fallen fortune on account 
of French alliance. When Napoleon became the head of 
the French nation, he left all beaten paths, and acted for him- 
self Whatever he might have thought of Ireland, he thought 
more of Napoleon, and his expedition to Egypt carried to the 
•banks of the Nile the forces once designed by others for the 
liberation of Ireland. 

After a short struggle in the field, and after a few scattering 
and ineffectual insurrections, in which perished some of the 
noblest spirits that Ireland ever saw, the patriots were van- 
quished, and the soul of the nation sunk within her. There 
was the end of Ireland's hopes, at least for generations. 
France, under the guidance of Napoleon, sought the conquest 
of Europe, and England was left to crush to powder her sis- 
ter isle. 

Among the illustrious victims of vengeance, the name of 
Thomas Addis Emmet maintains an exalted place. Without 
any specific allegation, or any overt act of treason, he was cast 
into prison, and never again permitted to enjoy his personal 
freedom in his native land. Mr. Emmet and several other 
state prisoners were confined in the prison of Kilmainham, in 
Dublin. He had acted throughout the rebellion with extreme 
caution. He had abstained from every thing that could ren- 
der him liable to legal consequences, and, in fact, was not 
peculiarly obnoxious to government. 

After having been confined, as a state prisoner, in Dublin, 
about a year, intelligence was received, that the French were 
about to make a descent upon Ireland, and Mr. Emmet, with 
several of his fellow-prisoners, was removed to Scotland, and 
imprisoned in fort George. Here they were confined for three 
years. Mrs. Emmet was permitted to join her husband, and 
never left him afterwards. During his confinement here, Mr. 
Emmet wrote part of an essay toward the history of Ireland, 
which was printed in New York in 1807, and deserves to be 
more extensively known. It displays great vigor of thought, 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. ' 385 

clearness of conception, and elegance of language, and will 
one day be read with great avidity and delight. Amid all his 
troubles, his mind remained firm and unbroken, full of vigor 
and industry : — 

Exilium causa ipsa jubet sibi dulce videri, 
Et desiderium dulce levat patria. 

After the expiration of three years, the British government 
concluded to discharge the prisoners from fort George, and 
end their sufferings. A correspondence was opened with 
governor Stuart, and, after every thing was arranged, a list of 
pardons was sent him ; and here occurs an incident which de- 
serves to be remembered in the life of Mr. Emmet. The list 
of pardons came, including every prisoner's name but his own. 
Governor Stuart sent for him, and, with evident emotion, told 
him the fact. For Mr. Emmet there was no pardon, and h« 
was doomed still to remain a state prisoner. Neither governor 
Stuart nor Mr. Emmet could divine the cause of this want of 
lenity in his case. After a moment of deep reflection, silence 
and anxiety, governor Stuart said, in a decided tone, " Mr. 
Emmet, you shall go ; I will take all hazards and all responsi- 
bility ; you shall go to-morrow with the rest of the prisoners, 
and I will stand between you and the government." The 
next morning, Mr. Emmet left the shores of Scotland, associa- 
ted with many painful and some pleasant and grateful recol- 
lections. 

Mr. Emmet and his lady, and the other nineteen prisoners, 
were escorted to the frigate which was sent to convey them to 
the continent of Europe, with waving banners and joyful ac- 
clamations. It was a kind of triumphal procession, in which 
officers and men, subjects and rulers, all joined ; for there 
was no feeling towards the prisoners at fort George, but love, 
sympathy and good will. All rejoiced in their liberation. 
Mr. Emmet went to France, where he remained some time. 
Of the particulars of his residence there I am not in possession. 
His health was considerably impaired, and it is probable that 
he did little more than recover his health and reclaim a shat- 
tered constitution. There was no hope of doing any thing 
33 



386 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

more for Ireland, and he turned his thoughts to the only se- 
cure refuge from oppression^ — the United States. 

In 1804, we find Thomas Addis Emmet a resident of our 
own country. He now moves on a new theatre, and occupies 
a wide space in the consideration of a people to whom he was , 
hitherto a stranger. He is no longer embarked in the troubled 
scenes of Europe. He commenced his career in the service 
of his country, to aid in conducting a most important revolu- 
tion to a successful issue, and he failed in his attempt. About 
six years of the most valuable part of his life had been lost by 
imprisonment and the calamities attendant on the part which 
he acted. He now commences a new career, and with what 
success, this narrative may present some slight proof 

When Mr. Emmet came to the United States, he was about 
40 years of age. His fortune had been broken, and he had a 
family to sustain and educate. For some time he doubted 
which profession he would pursue — that of medicine or the 
law. He was competent to undertake either. 

In compliance with the advice of his friends, he selected 
the legal profession, and was soon after admitted to the bar of 
New York. 

Mr. Emmet now commenced that splendid career at the 
American bar, that has not only elevated the character of the 
profession, but reflected back a lustre on his native land. 
The Irish bar have reason to be proud of the exile who has 
so essentially aided in giving immortality to Irish genius. 
Very soon after Mr. Emmet appeared at our bar, he was em- 
ployed in a case peculiarly well calculated for the display of 
his extraordinary powers. Several slaves had escaped from a 
neighboring state, and found a refuge here. Their masters 
seized them, and the rights of these masters became a matter 
of controversy. Mr. Emmet, I have been informed, was re- 
tained by the society of Friends — the real, steady, ardent and 
persevering friends of humanity and justice — and of course 
espoused the cause of the slaves. His effort is said to have 
been overwhelming. The novelty of his manner, the enthu- 
siasm which he exhibited, his broad, Irish accent, his pathos 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 387 

and violence of gesture, created a variety of sensations in the 
audience. His republican friends said that his fortune was 
made, and they were right. 

In 1807, Mr. Emmet appeared before the American public 
in a controversy with Rufus King. Mr. King was the federal 
candidate for governor of the state of New York. Mr. 
Emmet, on political and personal grounds, was opposed to his 
election. At a meeting of the Hibernian Society, he broke 
out in an eloquent appeal to his countrymen and brethren, 
and urged them to rally and imbody against Mr. King. This 
roused the temper of Mr. King's friends, and the federal pa- 
pers, especially the New York Evening Post, poured a torrent 
of invective on the head of Mr. Emmet. Severe epithets and 
hard names were applied to him. He had seen political war 
before, and was not to have his lips sealed at this time. He 
addressed two letters to Mr. King, and the last was Jong and 
severe. 

Mr. Emmet's course in 1807, and his ardor and firmness as 
a republican, identified him with the republican party. He 
never courted station or public trust; his theatre was the fo- 
rum. In August, 1812, the council of appointment conferred 
upon him the office of attorney-general of the state of New 
York. This was a post of honor, but could not add to his 
professional fame or emolument. He held the office but for a 
short time, and has never since sought or received any public 

appointment. I 

The mind of Thomas Addis Emmet is of the highest order. 
His penetration is deep, his views comprehensive, his distinc- 
tions remarkably nice. His powers of investigation are vigo- 
rous and irresistible. If there be any thing in a subject, he 
will go to the bottom. He probes boldly, reaches the lowest 
depths by his researches, analyzes every thing, and embraces 
the whole ground. He may be said to have a mind well adapt- 
ed to profound and powerful investigation. In the next place, 
he has great comprehension. He sees a subject in all its 
bearings and relations. He traces out all its various opera- 
tions. He begins at the centre, and diverges, until it becomes 
necessary again to return to the centre. As a reasoner — a 
barie, strict reasoner — Mr. Emmet would always be placed in 



388 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

an elevated rank. No matter how dry, how difficult, how 
repulsive the topic ; no matter what may be its intricacies 
and perplexities, if any man can unfold and amplify it, he is 
equal to the task. 

Mr. Emmet is a lawyer of great and faithful legal research. 
He has /consulted books with as much fidelity and perseverance 
as any man at the American bar. Perhaps he has not done this 
with so much system as appears in the study of many others ; a 
constant pressure of business may have prevented study upon 
abstract principles, with bare views of gaining knowledge ; 
but in his day, he has spared nothing in the compass of his 
reading. He has gone back to the black-letter, and come 
down to all the modern works that weigh down the shelves of 
our libraries, in the shape of reports and elementary treatises. 
In his arguments, he calls up all the authorities applicable to 
his case ; and, what is of great consequence in the character 
of a finished lawyer, these authorities shed light on the subject 
matter of discussion. 

Mr. Emmet cites with accuracy, and courts very much rely 
on his discernment — a character, by the way, of immense 
importance to an advocate. Courts soon measure a law- 
yer's understanding. If he wants perspicuity and clear- 
ness — if he mingles and confuses — he is sure to mislead, if he 
command respect and credence. Hence he will not long find 
countenance in legal tribunals. Mr. Emmet is not fond of re- 
sorting to the civil law, the corpus juris civilis. He occasion- 
ally draws from this fountain, but reposes generally on the 
common law. The text of the civil law is in his library, and 
the works of most of the commentators on this text ; but my 
apprehension is, that he has only consulted this grand body of 
jurisprudence in extraordinary cases. 

The subject of this memoir is not less distinguished for his 
knowledge of the theory of the law than he is of the practice. 
As a special pleader, he has great experience and precision. 
And whoever looks thro'igh the decisions of cases in the 
New York reports, and those argued in the supreme court at 
Washington, where he has been concerned, will be convinced 
of the fact here asserted. It has been said, that while Erskine 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 389 

dazzled, charmed and astonished all who heard him in West- 
minster Hall, the hard head and watchful skill of the nisi 
prius lawyer was always perceptible. Mr. Emmet, while he 
displays wonderful powers of eloquence, and indulges in bursts 
of lofty and noble sentiment, and appeals to the great moral 
maxims that must govern men in this world while we have 
laws, morals, and obedience to order, never forgets the land- 
marks of professional watchfulness : he is still the well disci- 
plined lawyer, contending for his client. 

As a classical scholar, but few men can stand before Mr. 
Emmet in point of attainments. He is familiar with the great 
writers of antiquity — the master spirits who have infused their 
genius and their sentiments into the popular feelings of ages 
which have rolled on long after the poet and the orator, the 
statesman and the historian, have ceased to glow, to speak, to 
guide, or to write. He has closely consulted those oracles of 
wisdom, those disciples of philosophy, those sons of the muses, 
whose opinions, sentiments and effusions lighten the sorrows, 
of human existence, inspire the mind with noble ideas, and 
cheer the ardent and persevering devotions of the student. 
The man of whom I speak is more intimately acquainted with 
the poets of Greece and Rome, than with the prose writers . 
at least such is the fact evinced in his speeches and conversa- 
tion. Virgil and Horace are always on his tongue, and Juve 
nal is sometimes called to his aid. There is a reason for thi^ 
kind of learning in Mr. Emmet. His early education was in 
the schools of Europe. He had all the discipline and all the, 
primitive advantages peculiar to those schools. The Latin 
and the Greek tongues were introduced to his notice when 
yet a child, and for years they were his daily companions. 
The writings of the British classics he has also consulted with 
a delight and advantage which often appear in his arguments 
Shakspeare, in particular, he often quotes. 

One of the greatest charms of Mr. Emmet's eloquence, it 
the fancy which he continually displays. He possesses an 
imagination boundless as the world of light, grandeur and 
beauty. Its flights are bold — its pictures soft, magnificent or 
awful, as the subject may require. This power is greater in 
Mr. Emmet than in any other lawyer whom I have ever heard. 



390 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

It enables him to shed a charm over every subject which he 
touches. To the most dry and meager topic he can impart 
interest and attraction. All his figures indicate taste and 
propriety. They are often bold and daring, and fi-equently" 
show very great accuracy and precision of language. It falls 
to his province to impress on the mind of every hearer a rec-* 
ollection as lasting as life. No man who ever heard him for 
an hour can forget his figure, his face, his manner, and a great 
part of his very language. Some of his peculiar figures of 
speech would be well remembered. 

Mr. Emmet's appearance and manners are plain and sim- 
ple in the extreme. His dress is wholly unstudied. Every 
thing, however, shows the most perfect delicacy of feeling. 
Modest, unassuming, unobtrusive, and perfectly polite, he 
would alone attract the attention of a stranger by that amiable 
temper and obliging disposition that manifested themselves 
on all occasions. I do not consider him an eloquent or a 
powerful man in ordinary conversation. His remarks are 
generally appropriate, and well adapted to passing colloquial 
scenes. He speaks with sense and intelligence ; but he dis- 
covers nothing of the man he is, unless called out by an occa- 
sion sufficient to awaken his mind and create excitement. 

In his private character, the object of this memoir is without 
a blemish. Generous, humane, obliging, and strictly honest ; 
a heart open, frank and ardent ; upright in all his dealings ; 
rigid and austere in his habits; temperate and rational in all 
his enjoyments; liberal, and free from prejudice upon every 
subject ; kind and affectionate as a husband, a father, and a 
friend ; anxious to do good and diminish evil. Such a man 
is Mr. Emmet. 

The circumstances attending the death of Mr. Emmet are 
worthy of notice. Early in November, 1827, he had been 
much engaged in the defence of lieutenant Percival, on a 
charge of extortion, and also in a cause of unusual importance, 
generally called the great Astor case, involving the right of 
Mr. Astor to lands in Putnam county, to the amount of per- 
haps $800,000. In the former case, he defended his client 
with all his accustomed vigor and ability, and the result was a 
verdict of acquittal. In the latter, on Monday, the 12th, he 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 301 

addressed the jury in a style of animated eloquence, of prompt 
and overwhelming retort, and of powerful argument, which 
was said by many of his audience to have even surpassed his 
earlier efforts. On Wednesday, the 14th, while attending the 
trial of another cause of importance, (the case of the Sailors' 
Snug Harbor,) in which he was counsel, in the United States' 
Circuit Court, he was seized with an apoplectic fit ; and, on 
being carried home, he expired in the course of the following 
night, being in the 63d year of his age. He had made no 
exertion, in particular, that day, but had taken notes of the 
testimony through the morning, and, on examination, these 
notes were found to be a full and accurate transcript of what 
occurred up to the very moment when the pen fell from his 
hand on his being seized with a fit. The scene in the court- 
room was in the highest degree impressive. Every individual 
present — the court, the bar, the audience, all were absorbed 
in the most anxious interest for the fate of this eminent man. 
The court was instantly adjourned. When his death was 
known, the expression of sorrow and respect was universal. 
His funeral was attended by the members of the bar, the stu- 
dents at law, and a crowd of other citizens, all desirous to 
pay their tribute of respect to the memory of the great de- 
ceased. A neat monument of white marble has since been 
placed in the wall of the apartment where Mr. Emmet was 
seized with the fatal illness. It is surmounted with his bust, 
and bears the following inscription : 

THOMCE . ADDIS . EMMET 
vmo 

DOCTRINA . lURE . SCIENTIA . ELOQUENTIA 

PRCESTANTISSIMO 

INTER . UJEC . SUBSELLIA . ET . OFFICII . MUNERA 

SUBITA . MORTE . CORREPTO 

soon . rORENSES . POSUERANT.* 

* Haines's Memcir. 



592 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

WILLIAM FLOYD. 

William Fhyd was born on the 17th of December, 1734, 
and was the son of an opulent and respectable landholder, in 
the county of Suffolk, upon Long Island. His education, 
though liberal for the times, was chiefly confined to the useful 
- branches of knowledge ; and was hardly completed, when he 
was called upon, by the death of his father, to assume the 
management of his patrimonial estate. His early life was 
spent in the circle of an extensive family connexion, which 
comprised the most respectable families in the county. 

He early embarked in the controversy with Great Britain, 
and was appointed one of the delegates, from New York, to 
the first continental congress, which met in Philadelphia, in 
1774. In that patriotic and venerable assembly, he was as- 
sociated with men whose names are identified with their 
country's birth, and will long be cherished in grateful remem- 
brance. 

Previous to his attendance in congress, Mr. Floyd had been 
appointed to the command of the militia of the county of 
Suffolk, and, upon his return, he found Long Island menaced 
with an invasion from a naval force assembled in Gardiner's 
bay, with the avowed object of gathering supplies. When the 
landing of the enemy was reported to him, he promptly as- 
sembled the force under his command, and marched to the 
point of attack. It was, perhaps, fortunate for his little army, 
composed of raw and undisciplined militia, that the terror of 
their approach left nothing for their arms to accomplish. The 
activity displayed, however, had an important effect in induc- 
ing the enemy to abandon their design. 

In April, 1775, having been again chosen, by the provincial 
assembly of New York, a delegate to the general congress of 
the colonies, he took his seat in the second continental con- 
gress, which met at Philadelphia on the 10th of May following, 
and continued a constant attendant for more than two years. 
As a member of this congress, general Floyd united with his 
illustrious associates in boldly dissolving the political bonds 
which connected the colonies to the British crown, and co-op- 
erated in the arduous and responsible task of arraying them 



i 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 39^ 

in hostility to the British empire. Under circumstances of 
danger and distress, with difficulties almost insurmountable^ 
and embarrassments the most complicated, they were raised 
from the posture of supplication, and clothed in the armor 
of war. 

During this interesting and protracted session, general 
Floyd was constantly and actively employed in the discharge 
of his public duties, to which he bestowed the most unremit- 
ting attention. He was chosen on numerous and important 
committees, the details of which were complicated, difficult, 
and, in many cases, extremely laborious. In procuring sup- 
plies for the army, in forwarding the expedition ordered against 
Canada, and particularly in introducing an efficient organiza- 
tion of the militia, (which may be said to have been the mother 
of the regular army,) as well as in many other matters, to 
which his attention was particularly directed by congress, he 
was enabled, by his experience and habits of business, to 
render essential service. 

Durincr his attendance in congress, Loner Island was evacu- 
ated by the American troops, and occupied by those of Great 
Britain. His family, in consequence of this event, were 
driven from their home in great haste and confusion, and were 
removed by his friends into Connecticut. The produce and 
stock of his estate were seized by the enemy, and the man- 
sion house selected aa the lendezvous for a party of horse, by 
whom it was occupied during the remainder of the war. This 
event was the source of serious inconvenience to him, as it 
precluded him from deriving any benefit from his landed prop-^ 
erty for nearly seven years, and left him without a house for 
himself and his family. 

On the 8th of May, 1777, general Floyd was appointed a 
senator of the state of New York, under the constitution of 
the state, which had then recently been adopted. On the 13th 
of May, the provincial convention passed a resolution that the 
thanks of the convention be given to him and his colleagues, 
*' delegates of the state of New York in the honorable the 
continental congress, for their long and faithful services rea-* 
dered the colony of New York and to the said state," 



394 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

On the 9th of September, 1777, he took his seat in the 
senate of New York, at their first session under the new con- 
stitution. This being the first constitutional legislature since 
the colonial assembly was dissolved, it devolved upon them to 
organize the government, and adopt a code of laws, suited to 
existing circumstances. Of this body he became a leading 
and influential member, and attended in his place, with some 
short intervals, until the 6th of November, 1778, when they 
adjourned. 

On the 15th of October, 1778, he was unanimously re-elect- 
ed a delegate to the continental congress, by a joint ballot of 
the senate and assembly, and on the 2d of January following, 
resumed his seat in that body, where he soon became actively 
employed on numerous committees, and continued in attend- 
ance until the 9th of June, when he obtained leave of 
absence. 

General Floyd was, by subsequent appointments, continued 
in high public stations during the greater part of his life. 
During his long attendance in the councils of the general and 
state governments, he maintained a high and enviable rank. 
The frequent and constant proofs of popular favor, which he 
received for more than 50 years, afford the most flattering 
commentary upon his public character. 

Having, in the year 1784, purchased a tract ^ of land, then 
uninhabited, upon the Mohawk river,, and finding himself 
more at leisure, he undertook the improvement of it, and, 
although he was now at an advanced period of life, succeeded, 
after devoting several successive summers to that object, in 
transforming it into a number of well cultivated farms. The 
western portion of the state of New York was at this time 
emerging from the wilderness of nature, and, attracted by the 
extraordinary fertility of the soil, he determined, in the year 
1803, to transfer his residence to his new estate. 

In the year 1800, he was chosen one of the electors of 
president and vice-president of the United States. Hi$ feel- 
ings had been excited by the conduct of the previous admin- 
istration, endangering, as he thought, the permanency of our 
institutions ; and neither the precarious state of his healthj the 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 395 

remonstrances of his friends, nor a journey of 200 miles in 
the month of December, could prevent him from attending to 
support his early political friend and associate, Mr. Jefferson. 

In 1801, he was elected a member of the convention to 
revise the constitution of the state of New York, and, at a 
subsequent period, served twice as presidential elector. At 
the earnest solicitation of his friends, he was once more 
elected a senator from the senatorial district into which he 
had removed, but, from the advanced period of his life, he 
was unable to bestow much attention to his public duties. In 
1820, although he was unable, from the infirmities of age, to 
leave his home, he was again complimented with being named 
upon the electoral college. 

After having enjoyed, for 87 years, a life of almost uninter- 
rupted health, he expired on the 4th of August, 1821. 

In private life he was fond of society, but always observed 
a measured decorum, which repressed familiarity, and chilled 
every approach of intimacy. He was highly respected in the 
society in which he lived, and has left to his descendants a 
name of which they will long be proud.* 



ROBERT FULTON. 

Robert Fulton, eminent as the inventor of steam-boats, was 
born in the town of Little Britain, Lancaster county, Penn- 
sylvania, 1765. His parents, who were Irish, were respecta- 
ble, and gave him a common English education at Lancaster. 
He early exhibited a superior talent for mechanism and paint- 
ing, and in his 18th year established himself in the latter 
employment in Philadelphia, and obtained much credit and 
emolument by his portraits and landscapes. On entering his 
22d year, he went to England, for the purpose of in^)roving 
his knowledge of that art, and was received into the family of 
Mr. West, with whom he spent several years, and cultivated a 
warm friendship. After leaving that family, he employed two 
years in Devonshire as a painter, and there became acquainted 

* Sanderson. 



396 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

with the duke of Bridgewater, and lord Stanhope, the former 
famous for his canals, and the latter for his love of the me- 
chanic arts. He soon turned his attention to mechanics, 
particularly to the improvement of inland navigation by canals, 
and the use of steam for the propelling of boats, and, in 
1794, obtained patents for a double inclined plane, to be 
used for transportation, and an instrument to be employed in 
excavating canals. He at this time professed himself a civil 
engineer, and published a treatise on canal navigation. He 
soon after vi^ent to France, and obtained a patent from the 
government for the improvements he had invented. He spent 
the succeeding seven years in Paris, in the family of Mr. Joel 
Barlow, during w^hich period he made himself acquainted 
with the French, Italian and German languages, and soon 
acquired a knowledge of the high mathematics, physics, 
chemistry and perspective. He soon turned his attention to 
submarine navigation and explosion, and, in 1801, under the 
patronage of the first consul, constructed a plunging boat, 
and torpedoes, (differing materially from Bushnel's invention, 
with which he was acquainted,) with which he performed many 
experiments in the harbor of Brest, demonstrating the practi- 
cability of employing subaquatic explosion and navigation for 
the destruction of vessels. These inventions attracted the 
attention of the British government, and overtures were made 
to him by the ministry, which induced him to go to London, 
with the hope that they would avail themselves of his machines ; 
but a demonstration of their efficacy which he gave the min- 
istry, by blowing up a vessel in their presence, led them to 
wish to suppress the invention rather than encourage it ; and 
accordingly they declined patronising him. During this peri- 
od, he also made many efforts to discover a method of suc- 
cessfully using the steam-engine for the propelling of boats, 
and, as early as 1793, made such experiments as inspired him 
with great confidence in its practicability. Robert R. Living- 
ston, esq., chancellor of New York, and minister of the 
United StUes to the French court, on his arrival in France, 
induced him to renew his attention to this subject, and em- 
barked witli hif)i in making experiments for the purpose of 
satisfying themselves of the possibility of employing sleam in 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 397 

navigation. Mr. Fulton engaged with intense interest in the 
trial, and, in 1803, constructed a boat on the river Seine, at 
their joint expense, by which he fully evinced the practicabili- 
ty of propelling boats by that agent. He immediately resolved 
to enrich his country with this invaluable discovery, and, on 
returning to New York, in 1806, commenced, in conjunction 
with Mr. Livingston, the construction of the first Fulton boat, 
which was launched in the spring of 1807 from the ship-yard 
of Charles Browne, New York, and completed in August. 
This boat, which was called the Clermont, demonstrated, on 
the first experiment, to a host of at first incredulous, but at 
length astonished spectators, the correctness of his expectations, 
and the value of his invention. Between this period and his 
death, he superintended the erection of 14 other steam-vessels, 
and made great improvements in their construction. He ob- 
tained a patent for his inventions in navigation by steam in 
February, 1809, and another for some improvements in 1811- 
In the latter year, he was appointed, by the legislature of New 
York, one of the commissioners to explore a route for a canal 
from the great lakes to the Hudson, and engaged with zeal 
in the promotion of that great work. On the commencement 
of hostilities between the United States and Great Britain in 
1812, he renewed his attention to submarine warfare, and con^ 
trived a method of discharging guns under water, for which 
he obtained a patent. In 1814, he contrived an armed steam- 
ship for the defence of the harbor of New York, and also a 
submarine vessel, or plunging boat, of such dimensions as to car- 
ry 100 Hien, the plans of which being approved by government, 
he was authorized to construct them at the public expense. 
But before completing either of those works, he died suddenly, 
February 24th, 1815. His person was tall, slender and well 
formed, his manners graceful and dignified, and his disposition 
generoiys. His attainments and inventions bespeak the high 
superiority of his talents. He was an accomplished painter, 
was profoundly versed in mechanics, and possessed an inven- 
tion of great fertility, and which was always directed by an 
eminent share of good sense. His style, as a writer, was 
perspicuous and energetic. To him is to be ascribed the 
honor of irj\enting a method of successfully employing the 



398 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

steam-engine in navigation, an invention justly considered one 
of the most important which has been made in modern ages, 
and by which he rendered himself both a perpetual and one 
of the greatest benefactors of mankind. He was not, indeed, 
the first who conceived it to be possible ; others had believed 
its practicability, and made many attempts to propel boats by 
steam, but, having neither his genius, his knowledge, nor his 
perseverance, they were totally unsuccessful. Mr. Fulton was 
familiarly acquainted with many of the most distinguished lit- 
erary and political characters both of the United States and 
of Europe, was a director of the American academy of fine 
arts, and a member of several literary and philosophical soci- 
eties.* 



ALEXANDER HAMILTON. 

General Alexander Hamilton was a native of the island of St. 
Croix, and was born in 1757. His father was the youngest 
son of an English family, and his mother was an American. 
At the age of 16, he accompanied his mother to New York, 
and entered a student of Columbia college, in which he con- 
tinued about three years. While a member of this institution, 
the first buddings of his intellect gave presages of his future 
eminence. 

The contest with Great Britain called forth the first talents 
on each side, and his juvenile pen asserted the claims of the 
colonies against very respectable writers. His papers exhibit- 
ed such evidence of intellect and wisdom, that they were 
ascribed to Mr. Jay ; and when the truth was discovered, 
America saw, with astonishment, a lad of 17 in the list of her 
able advocates. 

At the age of 18, he entered the American army, as an 
officer of artillery. It was not long before he attracted the 
notice of Washington, who, in 1777, selected him as an aid, 
with the rank of lieutenant-colonel. His sound understanding, 
comprehensive views, application, and promptitude, soon gain- 
ed him the entire confidence of his patron. 

>* Lord. 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 399 

Hamilton served as first aid-de-camp to the commander- 
in-chief in the battles of Brandyvvine, Germantown and Mon- 
mouth. At the siege of Yorktown, he led, at his own request, the 
^ American detachment that carried by assault one of the ene- 
my's outworks, on the 14th of October, 1781. On these 
occasions, his valor was daring and chivalrous. In the latter 
affair, which, though small, was brilliant and masterly, he 
displayed, in a very signal degree, the higher and more heroic 
quality of mercy towards the vanquished. In addition to the 
sanction of usage and precedent, he had a strong temptation 
to put to the sword the defenders of the redoubt, in retaliation 
of the murderous atrocities which had been recently committed 
by the enemy at fort Griswold. But, to magnanimity like his, 
the works of mercy were more congenial than those of ven- 
geance : he, therefore, regardless of the past, and listening only 
to the voice' of humanity, sheathed the sword when resist- 
ance had ceased. 

Soon after the capture of Cornwallis, Hamilton, at the age 
of 25, applied to the study of law. In this profession, he 
soon rose to distinction. A few years after, more important 
concerns demanded his talents. He was appointed, in 1787, 
a member of the federal convention for New York, and assisted 
in forming the constitution of our country. By his pen, in 
the papers signed Publius, and by his voice in the convention 
of New York, he contributed much to its adoption. 

On the organization of the federal government, in the sum- 
mer of 1789, he was appointed to the office of secretary of the 
treasury. The duties of that department, intrinsically arduous, 
and essentially connected with high responsibilities, were con- 
fessedly, at the time, increased in difficulty by the co-operation 
of temporary but powerful causes. As no statistiad account 
of the country had ever been attempted, its fiscS^ resources 
were wholly unknown. Add to this, that the habits and feel- 
ings of the people were far from being favorable to the organ- 
ization of an efficient and permanent system of finance. But 
the mind of Hamilton was not formed to be intimidated or 
vanquished. It rose in greatness in proportion to the difficul- 
ties it had to encounter. During his continuance at the head 
cf the treasury, a term of between five and six years, his man- 



400 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

ifestations of genius and talent were vast and varied — far 
beyond even the exalted promise of his former achievements. 
He proved himself capable not only of arranging, combining 
and maturing, but of creating, the means necessary for the 
attainment of the weightiest purposes. He perceived, as by 
intuition, the true character and resources of the country, and 
devised, with equal facility, the best plan of converting them 
into a basis of national revenue. 

In his system of finance, there was nothing unnatural, and, 
therefore, nothing forced. So perfect were the correspondence 
and adjustment between the means, the subject and the end, 
that all things he aimed at sprang up under his touch, as if 
nature herself had called them into existence. They rose and 
flourished like the productions of a fertile soil, when awakened 
by the influence of the vernal sun. From the most humble 
and depressed condition, he raised the public credit to an ele- 
vation altogether unprecedented in the history of the country, 
and acquired for himself, both at home and abroad, the repu- 
tation of the greatest financier of the age. 

When a provisional army was raised, in 1798, in conse- 
quence of the injuries and demands of France, Washington 
suspended his acceptance of the command of it, on the con- 
dition that Hamilton should be his associate, and the second 
in command. This arrangement was accordingly made^ 
After the adjustment of our dispute with the French republic,, 
and the discharge of the army, he returned to the bar, and 
never again appeared in any official capacity. He was too 
much attached, however, to the welfare of his country not to 
feel, during such portentous times, a deep interest in public 
affairs. While he viewed, with all the solicitude of a patriot, 
the course of events both in Europe and America, he scruti- 
nized them with the knowledge and discernment of a great 
statesman, and drew from them the lessons of an experienced 
sage. 

In the mean time, his fame as an advocate and a counsellor 
continued to brighten, the last exertion of his genius and 
talents being still considered by those who heard him the 
greatest and best. He had now before him a flattering pros- 
pect of acquiring for his family the independence of wealth — • 



. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 401 

a consideration which, in his devotion to his country, he had 
heretofore neglected. 

In this flourishing state of his fortune and renown, a po- 
litical opposition which had long subsisted between him and 
colonel Burr, then vice-president of the United States, ripen- 
ed, at length, into a personal misunderstanding. Between 
characters of a keen and chivalrous sense of honor, to whom 
an affront or a slight is more painful than a wound, and who 
are prone to take counsel of their feelings rather than their 
judgment, an event of the kind is replete with danger. A 
reputed stain on the reputation of either can be washed away 
by nothing but blood. 

In June, 1804, general Hamilton received from colonel 
Burr a note, requiring, in language that was deemed offensive, 
an acknowledgment or a disavowal, touching certain expres- 
sions, which he was unable to make. This led to a corre- 
spondence, which, after every honorable effort by the former to 
prevent extremities, terminated in a challenge on the part of 
the latter. By a man conspicuous in the eyes of Europe and 
America, and looking forward to certain contingencies which 
might call him again into military life, an acceptance was con- 
sidered unavoidable. 

As well from a reluctance to shed the blood of an individu- 
al in single combat, as from an apprehension that he might, in 
some unguarded moment, have spoken of colonel Burr in 
terms of unmerited severity, general Hamilton determined to 
receive the fire of his antagonist, and to reserve his own. 
This determination he communicated to his second, who, after 
a friendly remonstrance, acquiesced in the measure. 

On the morning of the 11th of July, 1804, the parties met 
at Hoboken, on the New Jersey shore, the very fepot where, a 
short time previously, general Hamilton's eldest son had fallen 
in a duel. 

The tragical issue is known to the world. The challenger 
was an adept in the use of the pistol ; the party challenged 
much less so, had he even come to the ground with a fatal 
intention. The terms of the combat were, therefore, un- 
equal. 

34* 



40^ tilSTORY OF NEW YORK. 

Oil the first fire, Hamilton received the ball of his antagonist, 
and immediately fell. For a time, the wound threatened to 
prove speedily mortal ; he was even thought, by those present, 
to be already dead. He recovered, however, from the first 
shock, and survived until 2 o'clock P. M. of the following 
day, when he expired, in the 47th year of his age. 

During the short period that intervened between the fatal 
accident and his death, he exhibited to all who approached 
him a most sublime and interesting spectacle. In a body 
almost lifeless, yet suffering, at times, extreme agony, his 
great mind retained its usual serenity and strength. Towards 
his family and friends the warmth and tenderness of his affec- 
tions were increased. He uttered, in strong terms, his deep 
abhorrence of the practice of duelling, declared that, in prin- 
ciple, he had been always opposed to it, and left against it his 
dying testimony. He expressed, moreover, his sincere sorrow 
and penitence at having been engaged in it himself, declared his 
resolution, should he recover from his wound, never again to 
be guilty of a similar act, professed his belief in the Christian 
religion, and participated largely of the comforts which it 
offered. 

Throughout the United States, his premature fall excited 
emotions of sorrow that were inferior only to those that had 
resulted from the death of Vv^ashington. For a time, political 
distinctions were swallowed up in his loss ; and, with a mag- 
nanimity in a high degree honorable to them, those who had 
been hitherto opposed to him in public measures, united with 
his friends in doing homage to his memory, and lamenting his 
death as a national calamity. 

Such honors Ilium to her hero paid, 

And peaceful slept the mighty Hector's shade. 

Although in person below the middle stature, and some- 
what deficient in elegance of figure, general Hamilton pos- 
sessed a very striking and manly appearance. By the most 
superficial observer he could never be regarded as a common 
individual. His head, which was large, was formed on the 
finest model, resembling somewhat the Grecian antique. His 
forehead was spacious and elevated, his nose projecting, but 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 403 

inclining to the aquiline, his eyes gray, keen at all times, and, 
wheh animated by debate, intolerably piercing, and his mouth 
and chin well proportioned and handsome. These two latter, 
although not his strongest, were his most pleasing features ; 
yet the form of his mouth was expressive of eloquence, more 
especially of persuasion. He was remarkable for a deep de- 
pression between his nose and forehead, and a contraction of 
his brows, which gave to the upper part of his countenance an 
air of sternness. The lower part was the emblem of mildness 
and benignity. 

In his dress he was plain, in his disposition social, in his 
manners easy and affable, in his affections warm, in his friend- 
ships steady, in his feelings ardent, and in his general deport- 
ment a well-bred gentleman. 

General Hamilton possessed very uncommon powers of 
mind. To whatever subject he directed his attention, he was 
able to grasp it, and in whatever he engaged, in that he ex- 
celled. So stupendous were his talents, and so patient was 
his industry, that no investigation presented difficulties which 
he could not conquer. In the class of men of intellect, he 
held the first rank. His eloquence was of the most interesting 
kind, and when new exertions were required, he rose in new 
strength, and, touching at his pleasure every st.ing of pity or 
terror, of indignation or grief, he bent the passions of others 
to his purpose. At the bar, he gained the first eminence. 

He undoubtedly discovered the predominance of a soldier's 
feelings ; and all that is honor in the character of a soldier, 
was at home in his heart. His early education was in the 
camp ; there the first fervors of his genius were poured forth, 
and his earliest and most cordial friendships formed ; there he 
became enamored of Glory, and was admitted to her embrace.* 



HENRY HUDSON. 

Henry Hudson ^ the discoverer of our state, was an eminent 
English navigator. Of the place of his birth, the manner in 
which he was educated, and the private circumstances of bis 

* Allen's Biography. Ames's Sketch. 



404 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

life, we have no account. He first made his appearance in 
1607, and, during the three following years, immortalized 
his name by a series of the most brilliant discoveries. 

Of his most important discoveries, and the manner of his 
death, some account has already been given. While on a 
voyage of discovery, a mutiny broke out among his crew, and 
Hudson was bound, and, with his son John, and seven of the 
most infirm of his men, put into an open boat, and abandoned 
to their fate, at the west end of the straits that now bear his 
name. The crew then proceeded to England ; but, landing 
near the mouth of the strait, four of them were killed by the 
savages. The remainder, after enduring the most severe 
sufferings, arrived at Plymouth, September, 1611.* 

" The sensation produced in London, upon the disclosure 
of these tragical events, may be conceived to have been very 
great. Such, indeed, was the interest felt in England, that 
the London company, prompted by the benevolent motive of 
searching for Hudson and his companions, flattered also by 
the hope of discovering an unexplored passage at the west 
side of the bay, fitted out another expedition the following 
year, which, after wintering, returned, disappointed in both 
objects of search. 

" Hudson had become deservedly a favorite with a large 
portion of the British public. The English long regretted 
the loss of their countryman, whose achievements as a navi- 
gator had reflected honor on a nation already distinguished 
for its illustrious seamen. Hudson's personal qualities and 
virtues, displayed during four voyages, at times which were 
calculated to try character, will ever be contemplated with 
admiration and pleasure ; but to the citizens of the state of 
New York, the character of this heroic navigator will be pe- 
culiarly the theme of eulogium, and his misfortunes the sub- 
ject of regret. 

"Hudson was not faultless; but no record imputes to his 
conduct any crime or wilful vice. He had at times that irri- 
tability of passion, which is so peculiarly the trait of those 
whose lives are passed upon the ocean. But few, who have 

* Allen. 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 40& 

SO conflicted with its dangers, and at the same time combated 
the turbulent dispositions of mutinous crews, could have 
preserved presence of mind, exercised moderation, and dis- 
played magnanimity, in a more exalted manner than Hudson. 
His faults, whatever they were, are eclipsed by the splendor 
of his virtues. When the river, which he discovered, shall 
display upon its banks, in a range of 300 miles, a free, vigor- 
ous and intelligent population, crowded into numerous addi- 
tional cities, villages, seats and farm-houses, the merits of 
Hudson will be reiterated with increased praise, while his 
name shall be handed down from generation to generation."* 



FRANCIS LEWIS. 

Francis Lewis was a native of Landaff, in South Wales, 
where he was born in the year 1713. His father was a cler- 
gyman, belonging to the established church. His mother was 
the daughter of doctor Pettingal, who was also a clergyman 
of the episcopal establishment, and had his residence in North 
Wales. At the early age of four or five years, being left an 
orphan, the care of him devolved upon a maternal maiden 
aunt, who took singular pains to have him instructed in the 
native language of his country. He was afterwards sent to 
Scotland, where, in the family of a relation, he acquired a 
knowledge of the Gaelic. From this, he was transferred to the 
school of Westminster, where he completed his education, 
and enjoyed the reputation of being a good classical scholar. 

Mercantile pursuits being his object, he entered the count- 
ing-room of a London merchant ; where, in a few years, he 
acquired a competent knowledge of the profession. On at- 
taining to the age of 21 years, he collected the property 
which had been left him by his father, and, having converted 
it into merchandise, he sailed for New York, where he arrived 
in the spring of 1735. 

Leaving a part of his goods to be sold in New York, by 
Mr. Edward Annesly, with whom he had formed a commercial 

* Yates and Moulton. 



406 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

connexion, he transported the remainder to Philadelphia, 
whence, after a residence of two years, he returned to the 
former city, and there became extensively engaged in naviga- 
tion and foreign trade. About this time, he connected himself 
by marriage with the sister of his partner, by whom he had 
several children. 

Mr. Lewis acquired the character of an active and enter- 
prising merchant. In the course of his commercial transac- 
tions, he traversed a considerable part of the continent of 
Europe. He visited several of the seaports of Russia, the 
Orkney and Shetland islands, and twice suffered shipwreck 
off the Irish coast. 

During the French or Canadian war, Mr. Lewis was, for 
a time, agent for supplying the British troops. In this capaci- 
ty, he was present at the time when, in August, 1756, the 
fort of Oswego was surrendered to the distinguished French 
general de Montcalm. The fort was, at that time, command- 
ed by the British colonel Mersey. On the 10th of August, 
Montcalm approached it, with more than 5000 Europeans, 
Canadians and Indians. On the 12th, at midnight, he opened 
the trenches, with 32 pieces of cannon, besides several brass 
mortars and howitzers. The garrison having fired away all 
their shells and ammunition, colonel Mersey ordered the can- 
non to be spiked, and crossed the river to Little Oswego fort, 
without the loss of a single man. Of the deserted fort the 
enemy took immediate possession, and from it began a fire, 
which was kept up without intermission. The next day, 
colonel Mersey was kiljjpd while standing by the side of Mr. 
Lewis. 

The garrison, being thus deprived of their commander, 
their fort destitute of a cover, and no prospect of aid present- 
ing itself, demanded a capitulation, and surrendered as prison- 
ers of war. The garrison consisted, at this time, of the 
regiments of Shirley and Pepperell, and amounted to 1400 
men. The conditions required and acceded to were, that 
they should be exempted from plunder, conducted to Montreal, 
and treated with humanity. The services rendered by Mr. 
Lewis, during the war, were held in such consideration by the 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 407 

British government, that, at the close of it, he received a grant 
of 5000 acres of land. 

The conditions upon which the garrison at fort Oswego 
surrendered to Montcalm were shamefully violated by that 
commander. They were assured of kind treatment; but no 
sooner had the surrender been made, than Montcalm allowed 
the chief warrior of the Indians, who assisted in taking the 
fort, to select about 30 of the prisoners, and do with them as 
he pleased. Of this number Mr. Lewis was one. Placed 
thus at the disposal of savage power, a speedy and cruel death 
was to be expected. The tradition is, however, that he soon 
discovered that he was able to converse with the Indians, by 
reason of the similarity of the ancient language of Wales, 
which he understood, to the Indian dialect. The ability of 
* Mr. Lewis thus readily to communicate with the chief, so 
pleased the latter, that he treated him kindly ; and, on arriving 
at Montreal, he requested the French governor to allow him to 
return to his family without ransom. The request, however, 
was not granted, and Mr. Lewis was sent as a prisoner to 
France, from which country, being some time after exchanged, 
he returned to America. 

This tradition as to the cause of the liberation of Mr. 
Lewis is incorrect ; no such affinity existing between the 
Cymreag, or ancient language of Wales, and the language of 
any of the Indian tribes found in North America. The cause 
might have been, and probably was, some unusual occurrence, 
or adventure ; but of its precise nature we are not informed. 

Although Mr. Lewis was not born in America, his attach- 
ment to the country was coeval with his settlement in it. He 
early espoused the patriotic cause, against the encroachments 
of the British government, and was among the first to unite 
with an association, which existed in several parts of the 
country, called the sons of liberty , the object of which was to 
concert measures against the exercise of an undue power on 
the part of the mother country. 

The independent and patriotic character which Mr. Lewis 
was known to possess, the uniform integrity of his life, the 
distinguished intellectual powers with which he was endued, 



408 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

all pointed him out as a proper person to assist in taking 
charge of the interest of the colony in the continental congress. 
Accordingly, in April, 1775, he was unanimously elected a 
delegate to that body. In this honorable station he was con- 
tinued by the provincial congress of New York, through the 
following year, 1776 ; and was among the number who de- 
clared the colonies forever absolved from their alleo;iance to 
the British crown, and, from that time, entitled to the rank 
and privileges of free and independent states. 

In several subsequent years, he was appointed to represent 
the state in the national legislature. During his congressional 
career, Mr. Lewis was distinguished for a becoming zeal in 
the cause of liberty, tempered by the influence of a correct 
judgment and a cautious prudence. He was employed in 
several secret services ; in the purchase of provisions and 
clothing for the army ; and in the importation of military 
stores, particulai'ly arms and ammunition. In transactions of 
this kind, his commercial experfence gave him great facilities. 
He was also employed on various committees, in Avhich ca- 
pacity he rendered many valuable services to his country. 

In 1775, Mr. Lewis removed his family and effects to a 
country scat which he owned on Long Island. This proved 
to be an unfortunate step. In the autumn of the following 
year, his house was. plundered by a party of British light-horse. 
His extensive library and valuable papers of every description 
were wantonly destroyed. Nor were they contented with this 
ruin of his prooerty. They thirsted for revenge upon a man, 
who had dared to affix his signature to a document which 
proclaimed the independence of America. Unfortunately, 
Mrs. Lewis fell into their power, and was retained a prisoner 
for several months. During her captivity, she was closely 
confined, without even the comfort of a bed to lie upon, or a 
change of clothes. 

In November, 1776, the attention of congress was called 
to her distressed condition, and shortly after a resolution was 
passed, that a lad}, who had been taken prisoner by the Amer- 
icans, should be permitted t«» return to her husband, and that 
Mrs. Lewis be required in exchange. But the exchange could 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 409 

not at that time be effected. Through the influence of Wash- 
ington, however, Mrs. Lewis was at length released ; but her 
sufferings, during her confinement, had so much impaired her 
constitution, that, in the course of a year or two, she sunk 
into the grave. 

Of the subsequent life of Mr. Lewis, we have little to re- 
cord. His latter days were spent in comparative poverty, 
Jiis independent fortune having, in a great measure, been 
sacrificed on the altar of patriotism, during his country's 
struggle for independence. The life of this excellent man 
and distinguished patriot was extended to his 90th year. His 
death occurred on the 30th day of December, 1803, 



PHILIP LIVINGSTON. 

Philip Livingston was born at Albany, on the 15th of Jan- 
uary, 1716. His ancestors were highly respectable, and, for 
several generations, the family have held a distinguished rank 
in New York. His great grandfather, John Livingston, was a 
divine of some celebrity in the church of Scotland, from which 
country he removed to Rotterdam in the year 1663. In 1672, 
or about that time, his son Robert emigrated to America, and 
settled in the colony of New York. He was fortunate in 
obtaining a grant of a tract of land in that colony, delightful- 
ly situated on the banks of the Hudson. This tract, since 
known as the manor of Livingston, has been in possession of 
the family from that time to the present. 

Robert Livingston had three sons, Philip, Robert and Gil- 
bert. The first named of these, being the eldest, inherited 
the manor. The fourth son of this latter is the subject of the 
present memoir. 

The settlement of New York, it is well known, was com- 
menced by the Dutch. For many years, scarcely any attention 
was paid by them to the subject of education. They had few 
schools, few academies, and, until the year 1754, no college 
in the territory. Such gentlemen as gave their sons a liberal 
education, sent them either to New England, or to some for- 
eign university. But the number of liberally educated men 
35 



410 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

was extremely small. As late as 1746, their number did not 
exceed 15 in the whole colony. The subject of this memoir, 
and his three brothers, were included in the number. The 
author is ignorant where the brothers of Mr. Livingston re- 
ceived their education, but he was himself graduated at Yale 
College, 1737. 

Soon after leaving college, he settled in the city of New 
York, where he became extensively engaged in commercial 
operations. Mercantile life was, at this time, the fashionable 
pursuit. Mr. Livingston followed it with great ardor; and, 
having the advantage of an excellent education, and being 
distinguished for a more than ordinary share of integrity and 
sagacity, he was prosperous in an eminent degree. 

In 1754, he was elected an alderman in the city of New 
York. This was his first appearance in public life. The 
office was important and respectable. The population of the 
city was 10,881 souls. Mr. Livingston continued to be elected 
to this office for nine successive years, by his fellow-citizens, 
to whom he gave great satisfaction, by his faithful attention to 
their interests. 

In 1759, Mr. Livingston was returned a member from the 
city of New York to the general assembly of the colony, 
which was convened on the 31st of January of that year. This 
body consisted of 27 members, representing a population of 
about 100,000 inhabitants, the number which the colony at 
that time contained. 

At this period, Great Britain was engaged in a war with 
France. A plan had been formed for the reduction of Canada 
by the united colonies. For this object, it was proposed to 
raise 20,000 men. The quota of New York was 2680. This 
number the general assembly directed to be raised, and appro- 
priated .£100,000 for the support of the troops, and ordered 
an advance of .£150,000 to the British commissariat, for the 
general objects of the expedition. Similar measures were 
adopted by the other colonies, which, together with the assist- 
ance of the mother country, led to the capture of several 
important posts in Canada, and, in the following year, to the 
subjugation of the whole territory to the British power. 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 411 

In this assembly, Mr. Livingston acted a distinguished part. 
His talents and education gave him influence, which was 
powerfully exerted in promoting the above important measures. 
He also suggested several plans, which were calculated to 
improve the condition of the colony, particularly in relation 
to agriculture and commerce. He was deeply impressed with 
the importance of giving to the productions of the country 
a high character in the markets abroad, and of increasing 
the facilities of communication with other countries. In 
respect to these and other subjects, he possessed a well in- 
formed mind, and was desirous of pursuing a most liberal 
policy. 

Previous to the revolution, it was usual for the respective 
colonies to have an agent in England, to manage their indi- 
vidual concerns with the British government. This agent 
was appointed by the popular branch of the colonial assemblies. 
In 1770, the agent of the colony of New York dying, the 
celebrated Edmund Burke was chosen in his stead. Between 
this gentleman and a committee of the colonial assembly, a 
correspondence was maintained. As the agent of the colony, 
he received a salary of <£500. He represented the colony in 
England, and advocated her rights. Hence the ofiice was one 
of great importance. Not less important were the duties of 
the committee of correspondence. Upon their representations, 
the agent depended for a knowledge of the state of the colony. 
Of this committee Mr. Livingston was a member. From his 
communications, and those of his colleagues, Mr. Burke 
doubtless obtained that information of the state of the colonies 
which he sometimes brought forward, to the perfect surprise 
of the house of commons, and upon which he often founded 
arguments, and proposed measures, which were not to be 
resisted. 

The patriotic character and sentiments of Mr. Livingston 
led him to regard with great jealousy the power of the Brit- 
ish government over the colonies. With other patriots, he 
was probably willing to submit to the authority of the mother 
country while that authority was confined to such acts as 
reason and justice approved. But, when the British ministers 
began to evince a disposition to oppress the colonies, by way 



412 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

of humbling them, no man manifested a stronger opposition 
than Mr. Livingston. His sentiments on this subject may be 
gathered from an answer, which he reported in 1764, to the 
speech of lieutenant-governor Colden. In the extract we 
^ive, may be seen the very spirit of the revolution, which led 
to American independence. 

" But nothing can add to the pleasure we receive from the 
information your honor gives us, that his majesty, our most 
gracious sovereign, distinguishes and approves our conduct. 
When his service requires it, we shall ever be ready to exert 
ourselves with loyalty, fidelity and zeal ; and, as we have al- 
ways complied, in the most dutiful manner, with every requi- 
sition made by his directions, we, with all humility, hope that 
his majesty, who, and whose ancestors, have long been the 
guardians of British liberty, will so protect us in our rights, as 
to prevent our falling into the abject state of being forever 
hereafter incapable of doing what can merit either his distinc- 
tion or approbation. Such must be the deplorable state of that 
wretched people, who (being taxed by a power subordinate to 
none, and, in a great degree, unacquainted with their circum- 
istances') can call nothing their own. This we speak with the 
greatest deference to the wisdom and justice of the British 
parliament, in which we confide. Depressed with this pros- 
pect of inevitable ruin, by the alarming information we have 
from home, neither we nor our constituents can attend to 
improvements, conducive either to the interests of our mother 
country, or of this colony. We shall, however, renew the act 
for granting a bounty on hemp, still hoping that a stop may be 
put to those measures, which, if carried into execution, will 
oblige us to think that nothing but extreme poverty can pre- 
serve us from the most insupportable bondage. We hope 
your honor will join with us in an endeavor to secure that 
great badge of English liberty, of heing taxed only with our 
own consent; which we conceive all his majesty's subjects, at 
home and abroad, equally entitled to." 

The colony of New York, it is well known, was, for a time, 
more under the influence of the British crown than several 
others, and more slowly, as a colony, adopted measures which 
hastened forward the revolution. But, all along, there were 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 413 

individuals, in that colony, of kindred feelings with those who 
acted so conspicuous a part in Massachusetts and Virginia. 

Among these individuals, none possessed a more patriotic 
spirit, or was more ready to rise in opposition to British ag- 
gressions, than Philip Livingston. The sentiments which he 
had avowed, and the distinguished part which he had all along 
taken, in favor of the rights of the colonies, marked him out 
as a proper person to represent the colony in the important 
congress of 1774. In the deliberations of this body he bore 
his proper share, and assisted in preparing an address to the 
people of Great Britain. 

Of the equally distinguished congress of 1776, Mr. Living- 
ston was a member, and had the honor of giving his vote in 
favor of that declaration, which, while it was destined to per- 
petuate the memory of the illustrious men who adopted it, 
was to prove the charter of our national existence. In the 
following year, he was re-elected to congress by the state 
convention, which, at this time, tendered to him and his col- 
leagues an expression of public thanks, for the long and faith- 
ful services which they had rendered to the colony of the state 
of New York. 

The constitution of the state of New York was adopted at 
Kingston, on the ^Oth of April, 1777. Under this constitution, 
Mr. Livingston, in May following, was chosen a senator for 
the southern district, and, in that capacity, attended the first 
meeting of the first legislature of the state of New York. 

In October of the same year, an election took place for 
members of congress, under the new constitution. Among 
the number chosen, Mr. Livingston was one. On the 5th of 
May, 1778, he took his seat in that body. This was an emi- 
nently critical and gloomy period in the history of the revolu- 
tion. The British had taken possession of Philadelphia, 
compelling congress to retire from that city. They had agreed 
to hold a session at York. 

At this time, the health of Mr. Livingston was exceedingly 
precarious ; and such was the nature of his complaint, which 
was a dropsy in the chest, that no rational prospect existed of 
his recovery : indeed, he was daily liable to be summoned 

or # 



414 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

from tne active scenes of life to his final account. Yet, in 
this dubious and anxious state, his love to his country contin- 
ued strong and unwavering. For her good he had made 
many sacrifices ; and, now that her interests seemed to require 
his presence in congress, he hesitated not to relinquish the 
comforts of home, and those attentions which, in his feeble 
and declining state, he peculiarly needed from a beloved 
family. 

Previous to his departure, he visited his friends in Albany, 
whom he now bid a final farewell, as he expected to see them 
no more. His family, at this time, were at Kingston, whither 
they had been obliged to flee to escape the British army. To 
these, also, he bid an affectionate adieu, at the same time ex- 
pressing his conviction, that he should no more return. 

These sad anticipations proved too true. On the 5th of 
May, he took his seat in congress, from which time his decline 
was rapid. On the 12th of June, he ended his valuable life. 
Although deprived of the consolations of home, he was attend- 
ed, during the few last days of his illness, by his son Henry, 
who was at that time a member of general Washington's 
family. Hearing of the illness of his father, he hastened to 
administer such comforts as might be in his power, and to 
perform the last duties to a dying parent. 

On the day of his decease, his death was announced in the 
hall of congress, and by that body the following resolutions 
adopted : 

" Congress being informed that Mr. P. Livingston, one of 
the delegates for the state of New York, died last night, and 
that circumstances require that his corpse be interred this 
evening, 

" Resolved, that congress will, in a body, attend tlie funeral 
this evening, at six o'clock, with a crape round the arm, and 
will continue in mourning for the space of one month. 

" Ordered, that Mr. Lewis, Mr. Duer and Mr. G. Morris 
be a committee to superintend the funeral ; and that the rev- 
erend Mr. Dufiield, the attending chaplain, be notified to 
officiate on the occasion." 

Mr. Livingston married the daughter of colonel Dirck Ten 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 415 

Broeck, by whom he had several children. His family hag 
furnished several characters who have adorned society, and 
whose virtues have imparted dignity to human nature. Mr. 
Livingston is said to have been naturally silent and reserved, 
and to strangers to have appeared austere. Yet he was un- 
commonly mild and affectionate to his family and friends. 
He was a firm believer in the great truths of the Christian 
system, and a sincere and humble follower of the divine Re- 
deemer. 



WILLIAM LIVINGSTON. 

William Livingston, LL. D. governor of New Jersey, was 
born in the city of New York, about the year 1723, and was 
graduated at Yale College in 1741. He studied law, and, 
possessing an understanding of great energy, a brilliant imagi- 
nation, and a retentive memory, and devoting himself assidu- 
ously to the cultivation of his mind, he soon rose to distinction 
in the profession. He early exhibited himself an able and 
zealous advocate of civil and religious liberty, and employed 
his pen in vindicating the rights of the colonies against the 
arbitrary claims of the British. After enjoying several impor- 
tant offices in New York, he removed to New Jersey, and, as a 
representative of that state, was one of the most distinguished 
of the congress of 1774. On the formation of a new constitu- 
tion for that state in 1776, he was appointed the first governor, 
and was annually re-elected to the office till his death in 1790. 
He was characterized by simplicity in his manners, and ease, 
amiableness -and wit in his social intercourse. His writings 
display uncommon vigor, keenness and refinement, and are 
often eloquent. He devoted himself, during the revolution, 
ardently to the cause of his country, and did much, by the 
shrewdness and severity of his writings, both to encourage his 
countrymen and exasperate the British.* 

* This article and the two following were taken, with some imma- 
terial alterations, from Lord's Dictionary. 



416 HISTORY OF NEW YORK, 



ROBERT R. LIVINGSTON. 

Robert R. Livingston; chancellor of New York, and minister 
of the United States to France, was born in the city of New 
York, September 2d, 1747, and educated at King's College, 
where he was graduated in 1765. He studied law, and com- 
menced its practice in New York, but was soon after appointed 
recorder of that city, and held the oflice till near the com- 
mencement of the revolution, when he was dismissed by gov- 
ernor Tryon, on account of his attachment to liberty, Mr. 
Livingston boldly advocated the cause of his country at that 
crisis, was elected to a seat in the first congress, and was one 
of its ablest and most influential members. He was one of the 
committee which drew up the declaration of independence, 
and, on the establishment of the executive departments in 1780, 
was appointed secretary of foreign affairs, and held the place 
till 1783. He was chosen, in 1777, a member of the convention 
which formed the constitution of New York, and, on its adoption, 
was appointed chancellor of the state, and continued in that 
office till he went to France, in 1801. It was in that capacity 
that he administered the oath of office to president Washington 
on his first inauguration. In 1788, he was a member of the 
convention of New York, which assembled to consider the 
constitution of the United States, and was a principal instru- 
' ment in procuring its adoption. He was appointed minister to 
France in 1801, and rendered the most important services to 
his country while residing there, by negotiating the purchase 
of Louisiana, and procuring redress for the numerous spolia- 
tions by the French on the commerce of the United States. 
He returned to the United States in 1805, and, though not 
afterwards employed in public life, continued to be eminently 
useful, by promoting the progress of the arts and agriculture. 
He was a principal founder and the president of the New York 
academy of fine arts, and also of the society for the promo- 
tion of agriculture. He died in Christian hope on the 15th 
of February, 1813, in his 67th year, lamented as one 
of the most distinguished among his countrymen in talents, 
learning, public spirit and usefulness. He possessed an active 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 417 

and vigorous mind, uncommon quickness of perception, was a 
profound lawyer and statesman, and ranked among the first 
Americans in eloquence. 



BROCKHOLST LIVINGSTON. 

Brockholst Livingston, judge of the supreme court of the 
United States, was the son of William Livingston, governor of 
New Jersey, and was born in the city of New York, November 
25th, 1757. He entered Princeton college, but, in 1776, left it 
for the field, and became one of the family of general Schuyler, 
commander of the northern army. He was afterwards attached 
to the suite of general Arnold, with the rank of major, and 
shared in the honors of the conquest of Burgoyne. In 1779, 
he accompanied Mr. Jay to the court of Spain as his private 
secretary, and remained abroad about three years. On his 
return, he devoted himself to law, and was admitted to practise 
in April, 1783. His talents were happily adapted to the pro- 
fession, and soon raised him into notice, and ultimately to 
eminence. He was called to the bench of the supreme court 
of the state of New York, January 8th, 1802, and, in Novem- 
ber, 1806, was transferred to that of the supreme court of the 
United States, the duties of which station he discharged with 
distinguished faithfulness and ability until his death, which 
took place during the sittings of the court, at Washington, 
March 18th, 1823, in the 66th year of his age. He possessed 
a mind of uncommon acuteness and energy, and enjoyed the 
reputation of an accomplished scholar, an able pleader and 
jurist, an upright judge, and a liberal patron of learning. 



RICHARD MONTGOMERY. 

Richard Montgomery , a major-general in the army of the 
United States, was born in the north of Ireland, in 1737. He 
possessed an excellent genius, which was matured by a fine 
education. Entering the army of Great Britain, he successfully 
fought her battles, with Wolfe, at Quebec, in 1759, and on. 



418 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

the very spot where he was, afterwards, doomed to fall, when 
fighting against her, under the banners of freedom. 

He early imbibed an attachment to America, and, after his 
arrival in New York, purchased an estate, about one hundred 
miles from the city, and married a daughter of judge Livings- 
ton. When the struggle with Great Britain commenced, as he 
was known to have an ardent attachment to liberty, and had 
expressed his readiness to draw his sword on the side of the 
colonies, the command of the continental forces, in the northern 
department, was intrusted to him and general Schuyler, in the 
fall of 1775. 

By the indisposition of Schuyler, the chief command de- 
volved upon him in October. After a succession of splendid 
and important victories, he appeared before duebec. In an 
attempt to storm the city, on the last of December, this brave 
commander fell by a discharge of grape shot, both of his aids 
being killed at the same time. In his fall, there was every 
circumstance united, that could impart fame and glory to the 
death of a soldier. His exit was deeply lamented, both in 
Europe and America. The American congress celebrated his 
funeral obsequies, and ordered a monument to be erected to 
his memory. 



LEWIS MORRIS. 

Letois Morris was born at the manor of Morrisania, in the 
state of New York, in the year 1726. His family was of 
ancient date ; the pedigree of it has been preserved ; but it is 
too extended to admit of a particular notice in these pages. 
Richard Morris, an ancestor of the family, beyond whom it is 
unnecessary to trace its genealogy, was an officer of some 
distinction in the time of Cromwell. At the restoration, 
however, he left England, and came to New York ; soon after 
which, he obtained a grant of several thousand acres of land, 
in the county of West-Chester, not far from the city. This 
was erected into a manor, and invested with the privileges 
which usually pertain to manorial estates. 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 419 

Richard Morris died in the year 1673, leaving an infant 
child by the name of Lewis, who, afterwards, held the office 
of chief-justice of the province of New York, and became 
governor of New Jersey. In both these offices he was much 
respected, and exercised an enviable influence in both these 
colonies. The sons of Lewis were not less eminent; one 
being appointed a judge of the court of vice-admiralty ; an- 
other chief-justice of New Jersey ; and a third lieutenant-gov- 
ernor of the state of Pennsylvania. 

From one of these sons, Lewis Morris, the subject of the 
present memoir, was descended. He was the eldest of four 
brothers. Staats became an officer in the British service, and 
for some time a member of parliament. Richard and Gouver- 
neur both settled in the state of New York, and both became 
men of considerable distinction ; the former as judge of the 
vice-admiralty court, and chief-justice of the state, and the 
latter as a representative in congress. 

The early education of Lewis was respectable. At the age 
of 16, he was fitted for college, and was entered at Yale college, 
the honors of which he received in due course, having acquir- 
ed the reputation of good scholarship, and a strict morality. 
Immediately on leaving college, he returned to his father's 
residence, where he devoted himself to the pursuits of agri- 
culture. As he entered upon manhood, he seems to have 
possessed every thing which naturally commands the respect 
and attracts the admiration of men. His person was of lofty 
stature, and of fine proportions, imparting to his presence an 
uncommon dignity, softened, however, by a disposition unusu- 
ally generous and benevolent, and by a demeanor so graceful, 
that few could fail to do him homage. 

Although thus apparently fitted for the enjoyment of society, 
Mr. Morris found his greatest pleasure in the endearments of 
domestic life, and in attention to his agricultural operations. 
He was early married to a Miss Walton, a lady of fortune and 
accomplishments, by whom he had a large family of six sons 
and four daughters. 

The condition of Mr. Morris, at the time the troubles of 
the colonies began, was singularly felicitous. His fortune 



420 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

was ample ; his pursuits in life consonant to his taste ; his 
family and connexions eminently respectable and eminently 
prosperous. No change was, therefore, likely to occur which 
would improve his condition, or add to the happiness which 
he enjoyed. On the contrary, every collision between the 
royal government and the colonies was likely to abridge some 
of his privileges, and might even strip his family of all their 
domestic comforts, should he participate in the struggle which 
was likely to ensue. 

These considerations, no doubt, had their influence at times 
upon the mind of Mr. Morris. He possessed, however, too 
great a share of patriotism, to suffer private fortune, or indi- 
vidual happiness, to come in competition with the interests of 
his country. He could neither feel indifferent on a subject of 
so much magnitude, nor could he pursue a course of neutral- 
ity. He entered, therefore, with zeal into the growing contro- 
versy ; he hesitated not to pronounce the measures of the 
British ministry unconstitutional and tyrannical, and beyond 
peaceful endurance. As the political condition of the coun- 
try became more gloomy, and the prospect of a resort to 
arms increased, his patriotic feeling appeared to gather strength ; 
and although he was desirous that the controversy should be 
settled without bloodshed, yet he preferred the latter alterna- 
tive, to the surrender of those rights which the God of nature 
had given to the American people. 

About this time, the celebrated congress of 1774 assembled 
at New York. Of this congress Mr. Morris was not a mem- 
ber. He possessed a spirit too bold and independent to act 
with the prudence which the situation of the country seemed 
to require. The object of this congress was not war, but 
peace. That object, however, it is well known, failed, not- 
withstanding that an universal desire pervaded the country, 
that a compromise might be effected between the colonies 
and the British government, and was made known to the latter, 
by a dignified address, both to the kiiig and to the people of 
Great Britain. 

In the spring of 1775, it was no longer doubtful that a re- 
sort must be had to arms. Indeed, the battle of Lexington 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 421 

had opened the war ; shortly after which, the New York con- 
vention of deputies were assembled to appoint delegates to 
the general congress. Men of a zealous, bold and indepen- 
dent stamp, appeared now to be required. It was not singu- 
lar, therefore, that Mr. Morris should have been elected. 

On the 15th of May, he took his seat in that body, and 
eminently contributed, by his indefatigable zeal, to promote 
the interests of the country. He was placed on a committee, 
of which Washington was the chairman, to devise ways and 
means to supply the colonies with ammunition and military 
stores, of which they were nearly destitute. The labors of 
this committee were exceedingly arduous. 

During this session of congress, Mr. Morris was appointed 
to the delicate and difficult task of detaching the western 
Indians from a coalition with the British government, and se- 
curing their co-operation with the American colonies. Soon 
after his appointment to this duty, he repaired to Pittsburg, in 
which place and the vicinity he continued for some time, 
zealously engaged in accomplishing the object of his mission. 
In the beginning of the year 1776, he resumed his seat in 
congress, and was a member of several committees, which 
were appointed to purchase muskets and bayonets, and to 
encourage the manufacture of salt-petre and gunpowder. 

During the winter of 1775 and 1776, the subject of a dec- 
laration of independence began to occupy the thoughts of 
many in all parts of the country. Such a declaration seemed 
manifestly desirable to the leading patriots of the day ; but an 
unwillingness prevailed extensively in the country, to destroy 
all connexion with Great Britain. In none of the colonies 
Was this unwillingness more apparent than in New York. 

The reason which has been assigned for this strong reluc- 
tance in that colony, was the peculiar intimacy which existed 
between the people of the city and the officers of the royal 
government. The military officers, in particular, had rendered 
themselves very acceptable to the citizens by their urbanity ; 
and had even formed connexions with some of the mort 
respectable families. 

This intercourse continued even after the commencement 
36 



42^ HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

of hostilities, and occasioned the reluctance which existed in 
that colony to separate from the mother country. Even as 
late as the middle of March, 1776, governor Try on, although 
he had been forced to retreat on board a British armed vessel 
in the harbor for safety, had great influence over the citizens, 
by means of artful and insinuating addresses, which he caused 
to be published and spread through the city. The following 
extract from one of these addresses, will convey to the reader 
some idea of the art employed by this minister of the crown, 
to prevent the people of that colony from mingling in the 
struggle. 

" It is in the clemency and authority of Great Britain only 
that we can look for happiness, peace and protection ; and I 
have it in command from the king, to encourage, by every 
means in my power, the expectations in his majesty's well- 
disposed subjects in this government, of every assistance and 
protection the state of Great Britain will enable his majesty 
to afford them, and to crush every appearance of a disposition, 
on their part, to withstand the tyranny and misrule, which ac- 
company the acts of those who have but too well, hitherto, 
succeeded in the total subversion of legal government. Under 
such assurances, therefore, I exhort all the friends to good 
order, and our justly admired constitution, still to preserve 
that constancy of mind which is inherent in the breasts of 
virtuous and loyal citizens, and, I trust, a very few months 
will relieve them from their present oppressed, injured, and in- 
sulted condition. 

" I have the satisfaction to inform you, that a door is still 
open to such honest, but deluded people, as will avail them- 
selves of the justice and benevolence, which the supreme 
legislature has held out to them, of being restored to the king's 
grace and peace ; and that prefer steps have been taken for 
passing a commission for that purpose, under the great seal of 
Great Britain, in conformity to a provision in a late act of par- 
liament, the commissioners thereby to be appointed having, 
also, power to inquire into the state and condition of the col- 
onies for effecting a restoration of the public tranquillity." 

To prevent an intercourse between the citizens and the 
fleet, so injurious to the patriotic cause, timely measures were 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 423 

adopted by the committee of safety ; but, for a long time, no 
efforts were availing, and even after general Washington had 
established his head-quarters at New York, he was obliged to 
issue his proclamation, interdicting all intercourse and cor- 
respondence with the ships of war and other vessels belonging 
to the king of Great Britain. 

But, notwithstanding this prevalent aversion to a separation 
from Great Britain, there were many in the colony who be- 
lieved that a declaration of independence was not only a 
point of political expediency, but a matter of paramount duty. 
Of this latter class Mr. Morris was one ; and, in giving his 
vote for that declaration, he exhibited a patriotism and disin- 
terestedness which few had it in their power to display. He 
was at this time in possession of an extensive domain, within 
a few miles of the city of New York. A British army had 
already landed from their ships, which lay within cannon-shot 
of the dwelling of his family. A signature to the declaration 
of independence would ensure the devastation of the former, 
and the destruction of the latter. But upon the ruin of his 
individual property, he could look with comparative indiffer- 
ence, while he knew that his honor was untarnished, and the 
interests of his country were safe. He voted, therefore, for a 
separation from the mother country, in the spirit of a man of 
honor, and of enlarged benevolence. 

It happened as was anticipated. The hostile army soon 
spread desolation over the beautiful and fertile manor of Mor- 
risania. His tract of woodland, of more than a thousand acres 
in extent, and, from its proximity to the city, of incalculable 
value, was destroyed ; his house was greatly injured ; his 
fences ruined ; his stock driven away ; and his family obliged 
to live in a state of exile. Few men, during the revolution, 
were called to make greater sacrifices than Mr. Morris ; none 
made them more cheerfully. It made some amends for his 
losses and sacrifices, that the colony of New York, which had 
been backward in agreeing to a declaration of independence, 
unanimously concurred in that measure by her convention, 
when it was learned that congress had taken that step. 

It imparts pleasure to record, that the three eldest sons of 
Mr. Morris followed the noble example of their father, and 



424 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

gave their personal services to their country, during the revo 
lutionary struggle. One served for a time as aid-de-camp to 
general Sullivan, but afterwards entered the family of gen- 
eral Greene, and was with that officer during his brilliant 
campaign in the Carolinas ; the second son was appointed 
aid-de-camp to general Charles Lee, and was present at the 
gallant defence of fort Moultrie, where he greatly distinguished 
himself. The youngest of these sons, though but a youth, 
entered the army as a lieutenant of artillery, and honorably 
served during the war. 

Mr. Morris left congress in 1777, at which time he received, 
together with his colleagues, the thanks of the provincial 
convention, " for their long and faithful services rendered to 
the colony of New York, and the said state." 

In subsequent years, Mr. Morris served his state in various 
ways. He was often a member of the state legislature, and 
rose to the rank of major-general of the militia. 

The latter years of Mr. Morris were passed at his favorite 
residence at Morrisania, where he devoted himself to' the 
noiseless but happy pursuit of agriculture ; a kind of life to 
which he was much attached, and which was an appropriate 
mode of closing a long life, devoted to the cause of his country. 
He died on his paternal estate at Morrisania, in the bosom of 
his family, January, 1798, at the good old age of 71 years. 



GOUVERNEUR MORRIS. 

Gouvtmeur Morris, an eminent political character, was a 
descendant from the distinguished family of that name of 
Morrisania. He was born in 1751, and graduated at the 
college in New York in 1768. He was called into public life 
at an early age, being elected a member of the provincial 
legislature of New York in 1775. In 1777, he was a member 
of the convention which formed the constitution of that state. 
and was appointed one of the delegates to congress. He was 
a decided friend of independence, and when the overtures for 
reconciliation were made known to congress by the British 
commissioners in 1778, their rejection was advocated with 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 425 

great force of argument and poignancy of wit by Mr. Morris 
and William Henry Drayton. Residing afterwards in Penn- 
sylvania, he was a delegate from that state to the convention 
which framed the constitution of the United States. He was 
one of the committee who revised the draught, and to whom it 
was indebted for the beauty and perspicuity of its style. In 
1792, he was appointed minister plenipotentiary to France. In 
that period of enthusiasm, an ardent attachment to the princi- 
ples, and a cordial sympathy with the friends of the revolution, 
was esteemed an indispensable qualification in the minister 
of the United States. But, although a decided republican, he 
had too much wisdom not to doubt the ultimate utility of some 
of the measures then pursuing in that kingdom, or to partici- 
pate in the sanguine anticipations of the leaders who directed 
them. In consequence, although his conduct was marked by 
the utmost prudence and urbanity, he failed to secure the con- 
fidence of the Directory, and, when a request was made for the 
recall of Mr. Genet, by the American government, it was met by 
a similar one from that of France, in relation to Mr. Morris, who 
returned to the United States in 1794. In 1797, he was elected 
a senator from the state of New York, in congress. He was 
a leading member of the federal party, and exercised a degree 
of influence which few other men possessed. His powers of 
eloquence were of the highest order. In the celebrated debate 
on the subject of abolishing the judiciary system, in 1802, 
he took an active part, in conjunction with Mr. Bayard and 
other distinguished statesmen, in opposition to that measure, 
and his speeches on that occasion were among the most power- 
ful and impressive which have been known in the annals of 
American legislation. After his term as a senator expired, he 
retired to private life, to the enjoyment of an ample fortune, 
and the indulgence of a liberal hospitality. He married, in 
1809, a daughter of Thomas Randolph of Virginia, and died 
at his seat at West-Chester, November 6th, 1816, aged 65. In 
addition to his speeches in congress, several of his orations on 
various occasions were published. Among these the most 
celebrated were, one delivered before the corporation of New- 
York, 1800, occasioned by the death of Washington ; and 
another delivered before an assembly of citizens convened to 

36* 





426 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

celebrate the downfall of the emperor, and the restoration 
of the Bourbons to the throne of France. He also published 
an Oration before the New York Historical Society in 1816 * 



PETER SCHUYLER. 

Peter Schuyler^ mayor of Albany, was distinguished for 
patriotism, and, by means of his popularity with the Indians, 
rendered important services to the Colony of New York, in 
securing their friendship and assistance during the wars with 
the French. In 1691, with a party of English and Mohawks, 
he attacked the French at the north end of Lake Champlain, 
and defeated them. He had great influence with the five 
Indian nations, and, in 1710, went to England with five of 
their chiefs, for the purpose of exciting the government to 
expel the French fi-om Canada. In 1719, he, being the oldest 
member of the council, held the chief command in the colony. 
During his short administration, the public affairs were conduct* 
ed with prudence and integrity. 



PHILIP SCHUYLER. 

Philip Schuyler i a major-general in the revolutionary war, 
was born in 1731. He received his appointment from Con- 
gress in June, 1775, and was directed to proceed to Ticonde- 
roga, and make preparations for entering Canada. Being 
taken sick in September^ the command devolved upon Mont- 
gomery. On his recovery, he devoted himself zealously to the 
management of affairs in the northern department. On the 
approach of Burgoyne, in 1777, he made every exertion to 
obstruct his progress ; but the evacuation of Ticonderoga by 
St. Clair, occasioning unreasonable jealousies in regard to 
Schuyler in New England, he was superseded by Gates, in 
August, and had the mortification to be recalled, when he wai 
about to take ground, and face the enemy. 

He afterwards, though not in the regular service, rendered 

• Lord. 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 427 

important services to his country in the military transactions 
of this state. He was a member of the old congress, and ap- 
pointed a senator under the new federal constitution. He was 
again appointed senator, in the place of Aaron Burr, in 1797. 
He died at Albany, in November, 1804, in the seventy-third 
year of his age. 

He was distinguished by strength of intellect and upright 
intentions, and was wise in the contrivance, and enterprising 
and persevering in the execution, of plans of public utility. 
In private life, he was dignified, but courteous, a pleasing and 
instructive companion, affectionate in his domestic relations, 
and just in his intercourse with mankind.* 



♦ All„^ 



( 



428 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 



APPENDIX. 

No. I. 
'^ DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE. 

When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for 
one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected 
them with another, and to assume, among the powers of the earth, 
the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of 
nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of 
mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel 
them to the separation. 

We hold these truths to be self-evident : — that all men are created 
equal ; that they zae endowed by their Creator with certain unalien- 
able rights ; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of 
happiness ; that to secure these rights, governments are instituted 
among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the 
governed; that whenever any form of government becomes de- 
structive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to 
abolish it, and to institute a new government, laying its foundation 
on such principles, and organizing its powers in such form, as to 
them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness. 
Prudence, indeed, will dictate, that governments long established 
should not be changed for light and transient causes ; and, accord- 
ingly, all experience hath shown, that mankind are more disposed to 
suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolish- 
ing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long 
train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object, 
evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is 
their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to 
provide new guards for their future security. Such has been the 
patient sufferance of these colonies ; and such is now the necessity 
which constrains them to alter tlieir former systems of governments 
The history of the present king of Great Britain is a history of 
repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the 
establishment of an absolute tyranny over these states. To prove 
this, let facts be submitted to a candid world. 



APPENDIX. 429 

He has refused his assent to laws the most wholesome and ne- 
cessary for the public good. 

He has forbidden his governors to pass laws of immediate and 
pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his 
assent should be obtained ; and, when so suspended, he has utterly 
neglected to attend to them. He has refused to pass other laws 
for the accommodation of large districts of peqple, unless those 
people would relinquish the right of representation in the legisla- 
ture — a right inestimable to them, and formidable to tyrants only. 

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, un- 
comfortable, and distant from the repository of their public records, 
for tlie sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his 
measures. 

He has dissolved representative houses repeatedly, for opposing, 
with manly firmness, his invasions on the rights of the people. 

He has refused, for a long time after such dissolutions, to cause 
Others to be elected ; whereby the legislative powers, incapable of 
annihilation, have returned to the people at large for their exercise, 
the state remaining, in the mean time, exposed to all the dangers 
of invasion from without, and convulsions within. 

He has endeavored to prevent the population of these states, for 
that purpose obstructing the laws for naturalization of foreigners j 
refusing to pass others to encourage their migration hither, and 
raising the conditions of new appropriations of lands. 

He has obstructed the administration of justice, by refusing his 
assent to laws for establishing judiciary powers. 

He has made judges dependent on his will alone for the tenure 
of tlieir offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries. 

He has erected a multitude of new offices, and sent hither 
swarms of officers, to harass our people, and eat out their substance. 

He has kept a«iong us, in times of peace, standing armies, with- 
out the consent of our legislatures. 

He has affected to render the military independent of, and supe- 
rior to, the civil power. 

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction for- 
eign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws ; giving 
his assent to their acts of pretended legislation : 
For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us : 
For protecting them, by a mock trial, from punishment for any 
murders which they should commit on the inhabitants of these 
states : 



430 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

For cutting off our trade with all parts of the world : 

For imposing taxes on us without our consent : 

For depriving us, in many cases, of the benefits of trial by jury : 

For transporting us beyond seas to be tried for pretended of- 
fences : 

For abolishing tlie free system of English laws in a neighboring 
province, establishing therein an arbitrary government, and enlarg- 
ing its boundaries, so as to render it at once an example and fit 
instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these col 
onies : 

For taking away our charters, abolishing our most valuable laws, 
and altering, fundamentally, the forms of our governments : 

For suspending our own legislatures, and declaring themselves 
invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever. 

He has abdicated government here, by declaring us out of his 
protection, and waging war against us. 

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our town^, 
and destroyed the lives of our people. 

He is, at this time, transporting large armies of foreign mercena- 
ries to complete the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already 
begun, with circumstances of cruelty and perfidy scarcely paralleled 
in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the head of a 
civilized nation. 

He has constrained our fellow-citizens, taken captive on the 
high seas, to bear arms against their country, to become the exe- 
cutioners of their friends and brethren, or to fall themselves by 
their hands. 

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has en- 
deavored to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers the merciless 
Indian savages, whose known rule of warfare is an undistinguished 
destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions. 

In every stage of these oppressions, we have petitioned for redress 
in the most humble terms: our repeated petitions have been an- 
swered only by repeated injury. A prince, whose character is thus 
marked by every act which may define a tyrant, is unfit to be the 
ruler of a free people. 

Nor have we been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. 
We have warned them, from time to time, of attempts by their 
legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We 
have reminded them of the circumstances of ou^ emigration and 
settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and 



APPENDIX. 431 

magnanimity, and we have conjured them, by the ties of our com- 
mon kindred, to disavow these usurpations, which would inevitably 
interrupt our connexions and correspondence. They, too, have 
been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, 
therefore, acquiesce in the necessity which denounces our separa- 
tion, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind — enemies in 
war, in peace, friends. 

We, therefore, the representatives of the United States of Amer- 
ica, in general congress assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge 
of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the name 
and by the authority of the good people of these colonies, solemnly 
publish and declare, that these united colonies are, and of right 
ought to be, free and independent states ; that they are ab- 
solved from all allegiance to the British crown, and that all political 
connexion between them and the state of Great Britain is, and 
ought to be, totally dissolved ; and that, as free and independent 
states, they have full power to levy war, conclude peace, contract 
alliances, establish commerce, and to do all other acts and things, 
which independent states may of right do. And for the support of 
this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine 
Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, 
and our sacred honor. 



No. II. 

The prisoners captured by sir William Howe, in 1776, amounted 
to many hundreds. The officers were admitted to parole, and had 
some waste houses assigned to them as quarters ; but the privates 
were shut up, in the coldest season of the year, in churches, sugar- 
houses, and other large open buildings. The severity of the 
weather, and the rigor of their treatment, occasioned the death of 
many hundreds of these unfortunate men. The filth of the places 
of their confinement, in consequence of fluxes which prevailed 
among them, was both offensive and dangerous. Seven dead bodies 
have been seen in one building, at one time, and all lying in a situ- 
ation shocking to humanity. The provisions served out to them 
were deficient in quantity, and of an unwholesome quality. These 
suffering prisoners were generally pressed to enter into the British 
service ; but hundreds submitted to death, rather than procure a 
melioration of their circumstances by enlisting with the enemies of 
their country. After general Washington's successes at Trenton and 
Princeton, the American prisoners fared somewliat better. Those 



432 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

who survived were ordered to be sent out for exchange ; but some 
of them fell down dead in the streets, while attempting- to walk to 
the vessels. Others were so emaciated that their appearance was 
horrible. A speedy death closed the scene with many. 

The American board of war, after conferring with Mr. Boudinot, 
the commissary-general of prisoners, and examining evidences 
produced by him, reported, among other things, " That there were 
900 privates and 300 officers of the American army prisoners in the 
city of New York, and about 500 privates and 50 officers prisoners 
in Philadelphia ; that since the beginning of October all these 
prisoners, both officers and privates, had been confined in prison- 
ships, or the provost; that, from the best evidence the subject 
could admit of, the general allowance of prisoners, at most, did not 
exceed four ounces of meat per day, and often so damaged as not 
to be eatable ; that it had been a common practice with the Brit- 
ish, on a prisoner's being first captured, to keep him three, four or 
five days without a morsel of meat, and then to tempt him to enlist 
to save his life ; that there were numerous instances of prisoners 
of war perishing in all the agonies of hunger." 

About this time, there was a meeting of merchants and others in 
London, for the purpose of raising a sum of money to relieve the 
distresses of the American prisoners then in England. The sum 
subscribed for that purpose amounted in two months to £4647 15s. 
Thus, while human nature was dishonored by the cruelties of some 
of the British in America, there was a laudable display of the be- 
nevolence of others of the same nation in Europe. The American 
sailors, when captured by the British, suffered more than even the 
soldiers which fell into their hands. The former were confined on 
board prison-ships. They were there crowded together in such 
numbers, and their accommodations were so wretched, that diseases 
broke out and swept them off in a manner that was sufficient to 
excite compassion in breasts of the least sensibility. It has been 
asserted, on as good evidence as the case will admit, that, in the 
last six years of the war, upwards of 11,000 persons died on board 
the Jersey, one of these prison-ships, which was stationed in East 
river, near New York. On many of these, the rites of sepulture 
were never, or but very imperfectly, conferred. For some time after 
the war was ended, their bones lay whitening in the sun on the 
shores of Long Island.* 

* Ramsay. 



APPENDIX. 433 



No. III. 

CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES. 

We, the people of the United States, in order to form a more 
perfect union, establish justice, ensure domestic tranquillity, provide 
for the common defence, promote the general welfare, and secure 
the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain 
and establish this Constitution for the United States of America. 

ARTICLE 1. 

Section I. 
All legislative powers herein granted shall be vested in a con- 
gress of the United States, wjiich shall consist of a senate and 
house of representatives. 

Section II. 

I. The house of representatives shall be^ composed of members 
chosen every second year by the people of the several states, and 
the electors in each state shall have the qualifications requisite for 
electors of the most numerous branch of the state legislature. 

II. No person shall be a representative who shall not have at- 
tained the age of twenty -five years, and been seven years a citizen 
of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an inhab- 
itant of that state in which he shall be chosen. 

III. Representatives and direct taxes shall be apportioned among 
the several states, which may be included within this union, accord- 
ing to their respective number^, which shall be determined by add- 
ing to the whole number of free persons, including those bound 
to service for a term of years, and excluding Indians not taxed, 
three fifths of all other persons. The actual enumeration shall be 
made within three years after the first meetmg of the congress of 
the United States, and within every subsequent term of ten years, 
in such manner as they shall by law direct. The number of repre- 
sentatives shall not exceed one for every thirty thousand, but each 
state shall have at least one representative ; and, until such enu- 
meration shall be made, the state of New Hampshire shall be 
entitled to choose three, Massachusetts eight, Rhode Island and 
Providence Plantations one, Connecticut five. New York six. New 
Jersey four, Pennsylvania eight, Delaware one, Maryland six, Vir- 
ginia ten. North Carolina five, South Carolina five, and Georgia 
three. 

37 



434 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

IV. When vacancies happen in the representation from any state 
the executive authority thereof shall issue writs of election to fill 
such vacancies. 

V. The house of representatives shall choose their speaker, and 
other officers ; and shall have the sole power of impeachment. 

Section III. 

I. The senate of the United States shall be composed of two 
senators from each state, chosen by the legislature thereof, for six 
years ; and each senator shall have one vote. 

II. Immediately after they shall be assembled, in consequence of 
the first election, they shall be divided, as equally as may be, into 
three classes. The seats of the senators of the first class shall be 
vacated at the expiration of the second year, of the second class at 
the expiration of the fourth year, and of the third class at the expi- 
ration of the sixth year, so that one third may be chosen every 
second year; and if vacancies happen by resignation, or otherwise, 
during the recess of the legislature of any state, the executive 
thereof may make temporary appointments until the next meeting 
of the legislature, which shall then fill such vacancies. 

III. No person shall be a senator who shall not have attained the 
age of thirty years, and been nine years a citizen of the United 
States, and who shall not, when elected, be an inhabitant of that 
state for wliich he shall be chosen. 

IV. The vice-president of the United States shall be president 
of the senate, but shall have no vote unless they be equally divided. 

V. The senate shall choose their other officers, and also a presi- 
dent pro tempore in the absence of the vice-president, or when he 
shall exercise the office of president of the United States. 

VI. The senate shall have the sole power to try all impeachments. 
When sitting for that purpose, they shall be on oath or affirmation. 
When the president of the United States is tried, the chief justice 
shall preside ; and no person shall be convicted without the concur- 
rence of two thirds of the members present. 

VII. Judgment in cases of impeachment shall not extend further 
than to removal from office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy 
any office of honor, trust or profit under the United States ; but the 
party convicted shall, nevertheless, be liable and subject to indict- 
ment, trial, judgment and punishment, according to law. 

Section IV. 
I. The times, places and manner of holding elections for senators 
and representatives, shall be prescribed in each state by the legisla- 



APPENDIX. 435 

lure thereof; but the congress may at any time by law make or 
alter such regulations, except as to the places of choosing senators. 

II. The congress shall assemble at least once in every year, and 
such meeting shall be on the first Monday in December, unless 
they shall by law appoint a different day. 

Section V. 

I. Each house shall be the judge of the elections, returns and 
qualifications of its own members, and a majority of each shall con- 
stitute a quorum to do business ; but a smaller number may adjourn 
from day to day, and may be authorized to compel the attendance 
of absent members, in such manner, and under such penalties, as 
each house may provide. 

II. Each house may determine the rules of its proceedings, pun- 
ish its members for disorderly behavior, and, with the concurrence 
of two thirds, expel a member. 

III. Each house shall keep a journal of its proceedings, and from 
time to time publish tlie same, excepting such parts as may in their 
judgment require secrecy ; and the yeas and nays of the members 
of eitlier house on any question shall, at the desire of one fifth of 
those present, be entered on the journal. 

IV. Neither house, during the session of congress, shall, without 
the consent of the other, adjourn for more than three days, nor to 
any other place than that in which the two houses shall be sitting. 

Section VI. 

I. The senators and representatives shall receive a compensation 
for their services, to be ascertained by law, and paid out of the 
treasury of the United States. They shall, in all cases except trea- 
son, felony, and breach of the peace, be privileged from arrest 
during their attendance at the session of their respective houses, 
and in going to and returning from the same ; and for any speech or 
debate in either house, they shall not be questioned in any other 
place. ' 

II. No senator or representative shall, during the tune for which he 
was elected, be appointed to any civil office under the authority of 
the United States, which shall have been created, or the emoluments 
whereof shall have been increased during such time ; and no person 
holding any ofiice under the United States shall be a member of 
either house during his continuance in office. 

Section VII. 
I. All bills for raising revenue shall originate in the housQ of 



436 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

representatives ; but the senate may propose or concur with amend 
ments as on other bills. 

II. Every bill which shall have passed the house of representa- 
tives and the senate shall, before it becomes a law, be presented to 
the president of the United States : if he approve, he shall sign it j 
but if not, he shall return it, with his objections, to that house in 
which it shall have originated, who shall enter the objections at; 
large on their journal, and proceed to reconsider it. If, after such 
reconsideration, two thirds of that house shall agree to pass the bill, 
it shall be sent, together with the objections, to the otlier house, by 
which it shall likewise be reconsidered, and if approved by two 
thirds of that house, it shall become a law. But in all such cases, 
the votes of both houses shall be detennined by yeas and nays, and 
the names of the persons voting for and against the bill shall be 
entered on the journal of each house respectively. If any bill shall 
not be returned by the president within ten days (Sundays except- 
ed) after it shall have been presented to him, the same shall be a 
law, in lilie manner as if he had signed it, unless the congress, by 
their adjournment, prevent its return ; in which case it shall not 
be a law. 

III. Every order, resolution or vote, to which the concurrence of 
the senate and house of representatives may be necessary, (except 
on a question of adjournment,) shall be presented to the president 
of the United States ; and, before the same shall take effect, shall 
be approved by him, or, being disapproved by him, shall be repassed 
by two thirds of the senate and house of representatives, according 
to the rules and limitations prescribed in the case of a bill. 

Section VIII. 
The congress shall have poAver 

I. To lay and coUect taxes, duties, imposts and excises ; to pay 
the debts and provide for the common defence and general welfare 
of the United States ; but all duties, imposts and excises shall be 
uniform throughout the United States : 

II. To borrow money on the credit of the United States : 

III. To regulate commerce with foreign nations, and among the 
several states, and with the Indian tribes : 

IV. To establish a uniform rule of naturalization, and uniform 
laws on the subject of bankruptcies throughout the United States : 

V. To coin money, regulate the value thereof, and of foreign 
coin, and fix the standard of weights and measures : 

VI. To provide for the punishment of counterfeiting the securi- 
ties and current coin of the United States : 



APPENDIX. 437 

VII. To establish post offices and post roads : 

VIII. To promote the progress of science and useful arts, by se- 
curing for limited times, to authors and inventors, the exclusive 
right to their respective writings and discoveries ; 

IX. To constitute tribunals inferior to the supreme court : 

X. To define and punish piracies and felonies committed on the 
high seas, and offences against the law of nations : 

XL To declare war, grant letters of marque and reprisal, and 
make rules concerning captures on land and water : 

XII. To raise and support armies ; but no appropriation of money 
to that use shall be for a longer term than two years : 

XIII. To provide and maintain a navy : 

XIV. To make rules for the govermnent and regulation of the 
land and naval forces : 

XV. To provide for calling forth the militia to execute the laws 
of the union, suppress insurrections and repel invasions : 

XVI. To provide for organizing, arming and disciplining the mili- 
tia, and for governing such part of them as may be employed in the 
service of the United States, reserving to the states respectively the 
appointment of the officers, and the authority of training the militia, 
according to the discipline prescribed by congress : 

XVII. To exercise exclusive legislation in all cases whatsoever 
over such district (not exceeding ten miles square) as may by ces- 
sion of particular states, and the acceptance of congress, become 
the seat of the government of the United States, and to exercise 
like authority over all places pm"chased by the consent of the legis- 
lature of the state in which the same shall be, for the erection of 
forts, magazines, arsenals, dock-yards, and other needful buildings : 
— and, 

XVIII. To make all laws which shall be necessary and proper 
for carrying into execution the foregoing powers, and all other 
powers vested by this constitution in the government of the United 
States, or in any department or officer thereof. 

Section IX. 

I. The migration or importation of such persons as any of the 
states now existing shall think proper to admit, shall not be proliib- 
ited by the congress prior to the year one thousand eight hundred 
and eight, but a tax or duty may be imposed on such importation, 
not exceeding ten dollars for each person. 

II. The privilege of the writ of habeas corpus shall not be aue^ 

37* 



438 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

pended, unless when, in cases of rebellion or invasion, the public 
safety may require it 

III. No bill of attainder or ex post facto law shall be passed. 

IV. No capitation, or other direct tax, shall be laid, unless in pro- 
portion to the census or enumeration herein before directed to be 
taken. 

V. No tax or duty shall be laid on articles exported from any 
state. No preference shall be given by any regulation of commerce 
or revenue to the ports of one state over those of another ; nor 
shall vessels bound to or from one state be obliged to enter, clear 
or pay duties in another. 

VI. No money shall be drawn from the treasury, but in conse- 
quence of appropriations made by law ; and a regular statement 
and account of the receipts and expenditures of all public money 
shall be published from time to time. 

VII. No title of nobility shall be granted in the United States ; 
and no person, holding any office of profit or trust under them, shall, 
without the consent of congress, accept of any present, emolument, 
office, or title of any kind whatever, from any king, prince or for- 
eign state. 

Section X. 
* I. No state shall enter into any treaty, alliance or confederation ; 
grant letters of marque and reprisal ; coin money ; emit bills of 
credit ; make any thing but gold and silver coin a tender in pay- 
ment of debts ; pass any bill of attainder, ex post facto law, or law 
impairing the obligation of contracts, or grant any title of nobility. 
II. No state shall, without the consent of congress, lay any im- 
posts or duties on imports or exports, except what may be absolute- 
ly necessary for executing its inspection laws ; and the net produce 
of all duties and imposts laid by any state on imports or exports 
shall be for the use of the treasury of the United States, and all 
such laws shall be subject to the reversion and control of congress. 
No state shall, Avithout the consent of congress, lay any duty on 
tonnage, keep troops, or ships of war, in time of peace, enter into 
any agreement or compact with another state, or with a foreign 
power, or engage in war, unless actually invaded, or in such immi- 
nent danger as Avill not admit of delay. 

ARTICLE II. 
Section I. 
I. The executive power shall be vested in a president of the 
United States of America. He shall hold his office during the terra 



APPENDIX, 430 

of four years, and, together with the vice-president, chosen for the 
same term, be elected as follows : 

II. Each state shall appoint, in such manner as the legislature 
thereof may direct, a number of electors, equal to the whole number 
of senators and representatives to which the state may be entitled 
in the congress : but no senator or representative, or person holding 
an office of trust or profit under the United States, shall be appoint- 
ed an elector. 

III. The electors shall meet in their respective states, and vote 
by ballot for two persons, of whom one, at least, shall not be an in- 
habitant of the same state with themselves. And they shall make 
a list of all the persons voted for, and of the number of votes for 
each ; which list they shall sign and certify, and transmit, sealed, to 
the seat of government of the United States, directed to the presi- 
dent of the senate. The president of the senate shall, in the 
presence of the senate and house of representatives, open all the 
certificates, and tlie votes shall then be counted. The person hav- 
ing the greatest number of votes shall be the president, if such 
number be a majority of the whole number of electors appointed ; 
and if there be more than one who have such majority, and have 
an equal number of votes, then the house of representatives shall 
immediately choose by ballot one of them for president ; and if no 
person have a majority, then from the five liighest on the list, the 
said house shall in like manner choose the president. But, in choos- 
ing the president, the votes shall be taken by states, the representa- 
tion from each state having one vote. A quorum for this purpose 
shall consist of a member or members from two thirds of the states, 
and a majority of all the states shall be necessary to a choice. In 
every case, after the choice of the president, the person having the 
greatest number of votes of the electors shaU be the vice-president. 
But if there should remain two or more who have equal votes, the 
senate shall choose from them by ballot the vice-president. 

IV. The congress may determine the time of choosing the elec- 
tors, and the day on which they shall give their votes ; which day 
shall be the same throughout the United States. 

V. No person, except a natural born citizen, or a citizen of the 
United States at the time of the adoption of this constitution, shall 
be eligible to the office of president ; neither shall any person be 
eligible to that office who shall not have attained the age of thirty- 
five years, and been fourteen years a resident within the United 
States. 

VI. In case of the removal of the president fi-om office, or of his 
death, resignation, or inability to discharge the powers and duties 



440 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

of the said office, the same shall devolve on the vice-president, and 
the congress may by law provide for the case of removal, death, 
resignation or inability, both of the president and vice-president, 
declaring what officer shall then act as president, and such officer 
shall act accordingly until the disability be removed, or a president 
shall be elected. 

VII. The president shall, at stated times, receive for his services 
a compensation, which shall neither be increased or diminished dur- 
ing the period for which he shall have been elected, and he shall 
not receive within that period any other emolument from the United 
States, or any of them. 

VIII. Before he enter on the execution of his office, he shall 
take the following oath or affirmation : 

" I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the 
office of president of the United States, and wUl, to the best of my 
ability, preserve, protect and defend the constitution of the United 
States." 

Section II. 

I. The president shall be commander-in-chief of the army and 
navy of the United States, and of the militia of the several states, 
when called into the actual service of the United States. He may 
require the opinion, in writing, of the principal officer in each of jthe 
executive departments, upon any subject relating to the duties of 
their respective offices, and he shall have power to grant reprieves 
and pardons for offisnces against the United States, except in cases 
of impeachment. 

II. He shall have power, by and with the advice and consent of 
the senate, to make treaties, provided two thirds of the senators 
present concur; and he shall nominate, and by and with the advice 
and consent of the senate, shall appoint ambassadors, other public 
ministers and consuls, judges of the supreme court, and all other 
officers of the United States, whose appointments are not herein 
otherwise provided for, and which shall be established by law. But 
the congress may by law vest the appointment of such inferior 
officers as they think proper in the president alone, in the courts of 
law, or in the heads of departments. 

III. The president shall have power to fill up all vacancies that 
may happen during the recess of the senate, by granting commis- 
sions, which shall expire at the end of their next session. 

< 

Section III. 
He shall from time to time give to the congress information of 
the state of the Union, and recommend to their consideration such 



APPENDIX. 441 

measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient ; he may, on 
extraordinary occasions, convene both houses, or either of them, 
and in case of disagreement between them, with respect to the 
time of adjournment, he may adjourn them to such time as he shall 
think proper ; he shall receive ambassadors and other public minis- 
ters ; he shall take care that the laws be faithfully executed, and 
shall commission all the officers of the United States. 

Section IV. 

The president, vice-president, and all civil officers of the United 
States, shall be removed from office on impeachment for, and con- 
viction of, treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors. 

, ARTICLE III. 

Section I. 
The judicial power of the United States shall be vested in ons 
supreme court, and in such inferior courts as the congress may 
from time to time ordain and establish. The judges, both of the 
supreme and inferior courts, shall hold their offices during good be- 
havior, and shall, at stated times, receive for their services a com- 
pensation, which shall not be diminished during their continuance" 
in office. 

Section IT. 

I. The judicial power shall extend to all cases, in law and equity, 
arising under this constitution, the laws of the United States, and 
treaties made, or which shall be made, under their authority ; to all 
cases aifecting ambassadors, other public ministers and consuls ; to 
all cases of admiralty and maritime jurisdiction ; to controversies to 
wliich the United States shall be a party ; to controversies between 
two or more states, between a state and citizens of another state, 
between citizens of different states, between citizens of the same 
state claiming lands under grants of different states, and between a 
state, or the citizens thereof, and foreign states, citizens or subjects. 

II. In all cases affecting ambassadors, other public ministers and 
consuls, and those in wliich a state shall be a party, the supreme 
court shall have original jurisdiction. In all otlier cases before 
mentioned, the supreme court shall have appellate jurisdiction, both 
as to law and fact, with such exceptions, and under such regulations, 
as the congress shall make. 

III. The trial of all crimes, except in cases of impeachment, shall 
be by jury ; and such trials shall be held in the state where the 
said crime shall have been committed ; but when not committed 



442 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

within any state, the trial shall be at such place, or places, as the 
congress may by law have directed. 

Section III. 

I. Treason against the United States shall consist only in levying- 
war against them, or in adhering to their enemies, giving them aid 
and comfort. No person shaU be convicted of treason unless on the 
testimony of two witnesses to the same overt act, or on confession 
in open court. 

II. The congress shall have power to declare the punishment of 
treason, but no attainder of treason shall work corruption of blood, 
or forfeiture, except during the life of the person attainted. 

ARTICLE IV. 
Section I. 

Full faith and credit shall be given in each state to the public 

^^ts, records and judicial proceedings of every other state. And 

the congress may by general laws prescribe the manner in which 

such acts, records and proceedings shall be proved, and the efiect 

thereof. 

Section II. 

I. The citizens of each state shall be entitled to all the privileges 
and immunities of citizens in the several states. 

II. A person charged in any state with treason, felony or other 
crime, who shall flee from justice, and be found in another state, 
shall, on demand of the executive authority of the state from which 
he fled, be delivered up, to be removed to the state having jurisdic- 
tion of the crime. 

III. No person held to service or labor in one state, under the 
laws thereof, escaping into another, shall, in consequence of any 
law or regulation therein, be discharged from such service or labor, 
but shall be delivered up on claim of the party to whom such ser- 
vice or labor may be due. 

Section III. 

I. New states may be admitted by the congress into this Union ; 
but no new state shall be formed or erected within the jurisdiction 
of any other state ; nor any state be formed by the junction of two 
or more states, or parts of states, without the consent of the legis- 
latures of the states concerned as well as of the congress. 

II. The congress shall have power to dispose of and make all 
needful rules and regulations respecting the territory or other prop- 
erty belonging to the United States ; and nothing in this constitu- 



APPENDIX. 443 

tion shall be so constructed as to prejudice any claims of the United 
States, or of any particular state. 

Section IV. 

The United States shall guaranty to every state in this Union a 
republican form of government, and shall protect each of them 
against invasion ; and on application of the legislature, or of the 
executive (when the legislature cannot be convened) against do- 
mestic violence. 

ARTICLE V. 

The congress, whenever two thirds of both houses shall deem it 
necessary, shall propose amendments to this constitution, or, on the 
application of the legislatures of two thirds of the several states, 
shall call a convention for proposing amendments, which, in either 
ca^e, shall be valid to all intents and purposes, as part of this con- 
stitution, when ratified by the legislatures of three fourths of the 
several states, or by conventions in three fourths thereof, as the one 
or the other mode of ratification may be proposed by the congress : 
Provided that no amendment which may be made prior to the year 
one thousand eight hundred and eight shall in any manner affect 
the first and fourth clauses in the ninth section of the first article ; 
and that no state, without its consent, shall be deprived of its equal 
suffrage in the senate, 

ARTICLE VI. 

I. AU debts contracted, and engagements entered into, before 
the adoption of this constitution, shall be as valid against the United 
States under this constitution as under the confederation. 

H. This constitution and the laws of the United States which 
shall be made in pursuance thereof, and all treaties made, or which 
shall be made, under the authority of the United States, shall be 
the supreme law of the land ; and the judges in every state shall 
be bound thereby, anything in the constitution or laws of any state 
to the contrary notwithstanding. 

III. The senators and representatives before mentioned, and the 
members of the several state legislatures, and all executive and ju- 
dicial officers, both of the United States and of the several states, 
shall be bound by oath or affirmation to support this constitution ; 
but no religious test shall ever be required, as a qualification to any 
office or public trust under the United States. 

ARTICLE VII. 

The ratification of the conventions of nine states shall be suffi- 
cient for the establishment of this constitution between the states 
eo ratifying tlie same. 



444 



HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 



New Hampshire^ 

Massachusetts^ 

Connecticut^ 
New York, 

New Jersey, 



Pennsylvania, 



Delaware, 



Maryland, 



Virginia, 



North Carolina, 



South Carolina, 



Georgia, 



Done in convention, by the unanimous consent of the states present, th» 
seventeenth day of September, in the year of our Lord one thousand 
seven hundred and eighty-seven, and of the independence of the 
United States of America the twelfth. In witness whereof, we have 
hereunto subscribed our names. 

John Langdon, 

Nicholas Gilman. 

Nathaniel Gorham, 

Rufus King. 

William Samuel Johnson, 

Roger Sherman. 

Alexander Hamilton. 

William Livingston, 
David Brearley, 
William Paterson, 
Jonathan Dayton. 

Benjamin Franklin, 
Thomas Mifflin, 
Robert Morris, 
George Clymer, 
Thomas Fitzsimons, 
Jared Ingersoll, 
James Wilson, 
Gouverneur Morris. 

George Read, 

Gunning Bedford, jun., 

John Dickinson, 

Richard Bassett, 

Jacob Broom. 

James McHenry, 

Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer, 

Daniel Carroll. 

John Blair, 

James Madison, jun. 

William Blount, 

Richard Dobbs Spaight, 

Hugh Williamson. 

John Rutledge, 

Charles C. Pmkney, 

Charles Pinkney, 

Pierce Butler. 

William Few, 

Abraham Baldwin. 

GEORGE WASHINGTON, President. 

WILLIAM JACKSON, Secretary. 



APPENDIX. 445 



AMENDMENTS. 



The following amendments, having been adopted by three fourtlis 
of the several states, now compose a part of the constitution. 
Ten of these articles, having been presented by congress to the 
states in 1789, and subsequently ratified by three fourtlis of the 
states, were declared a part of the constitution in 1791. The thir- 
teenth was adopted in 1798 ; and the fourteenth in 1804. 

ARTICLE I. 

After the first enumeration required by the first article of the 
constitution, there shall be one representative for every thirty thou- 
sand, until the number shall amount to one hundred, after wliich the 
proportion shall be so regulated by congress, that there shall not be 
less than one hundred representatives, nor more than one representa- 
tive for every forty thousand persons, until the number of represen- 
tatives shall amount to two hundred, after which the proportion shall 
be so regulated by congress, that there shall not be less than two 
hundred representatives, nor more than one representative for every 
fifty thousand persons. 

ARTICLE II. 

No law varying the compensation for the services of the senators 
and representatives shall take effect until an election of represen- 
tatives shall have intervened. 

ARTICLE III. 

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of reli- 
gion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the free- 
dom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably 
to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of 

grievances. 

ARTICLE IV. 

A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free 

state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be 

infringed. 

ARTICLE V 

No soldier shall, in time of peace, be quartered in any house 
without the consent of the owner, nor in time of war, but in a ma" 
rer to be" prescribed by law. 

38 



446 HISTORY OF NEW YORK, 

• ARTICLE VI. 

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, 
papers and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall 
not be violated ; and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable 
cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing 
the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized. 

ARTICLE VIL 

No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise in- 
famous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a grand 
jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the 
militia when in actual service in time of war or public danger ; 
nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice 
put in jeopardy of life or limb ; nor shall be compelled in any crim- 
inal, case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, 
liberty or property, without due process of law ; nor shall private 
property be taken for public use without just compensation. 

ARTICLE VIII. 

In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a 

speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the state and district 

•wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall 

have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the 

nature and cause of the accusation ; to be confronted with the 

witnesses against him ; to have compulsory process for obtaining 

witnesses in his favor, and to have the assistance of counsel for his 

defence. 

ARTICLE IX. 

In suits at conmion law, where the value in controversy shall ex- 
ceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, 
and no fact, tried by a jury, shall be otherwise re-examined in any 
court of the United States, than according to the rules of the com- 
mon law. 

ARTICLE X. 

Excessive bail shaU not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, 
nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted. 

ARTICLE XL 
The enumeration in the constitution, of certain rights, shall not 
oe construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people. 

ARTICLE XII. 

The powers not delegated to the United States by the constitu- 
tion, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states 
respectively, or to the people. ^ 



APPENDIX. 447 

ARTICLE XIII. 

The judicial power of the United States shall not be construed 
to extend to any suit in law or equity, commenced or prosecuted 
against one of tlie United States by citizens of another state, or 
by citizens or subjects of any foreign state. 

ARTICLE XIV. 

The electors shall meet in their .respective states, and vote by 
ballot for president and vice-president, one of whom, at least, shall / 
not be an inhabitant of the same state with themselves ; they shall 
name, in their ballots, the person voted for as president, and, in dis- 
tinct ballots, the person voted for as vice-president, and they shall 
make distinct lists of all persons voted for as president, and of all 
persons voted for as vice-president, and of the number of votes for 
each, which lists they shall sign and certify, and transmit, sealed, to 
the seat of the government of the United States, directed to the 
president of the senate. The president of the senate shall, in the 
presence of the senate and house of representatives, open all the 
certificates, and the votes shall tlien be counted. The person hav- 
ing the greatest number of votes for president shall be the presi- 
dent, if such number be a majority of the whole number of electors 
appointed ; and if no person have such a majority, then from the 
persons having the highest numbers, not exceeding three on the 
list of those voted for as president, the house. r.of representatives 
shall choose immediately, by ballot, the president. Bat in choosing 
the president, the votes shall be taken by states, the representation 
from each state having one vote ; a quorum for tiiis purpose shall 
consist of a member or members from two thirds of the states, and 
a majority of aU the states shall be necessary to a choice. And if 
the house of representatives shall not choose a president, whenever 
the right of choice shall devolve upon them, before the fourth day 
of March next following, then the vice-president shall act as presi- 
dent, as in the case of the deatli or other constitutional disability of 
the president. 

The person having the greatest number of votes as vice-president 
shall be the vice-president, if such number be a majority of the 
whole number of electors appointed ; and if no person have a ma- 
jority, then, from the two highest numbers on the list, the senate 
shall choose the vice-president; a quorum for the purpose shall 
consist of two thirds of the whole number of senators, and a ma- 
jority of the whole number shall be necessary to a choice... 

But no person constitutionally ineligible to the office of president 
shall be eligible to that of vice-president of the United States. 



448 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

ARTICLE XV. 
If any citizen of the United States shall accept, claim, receive, 
or retain, any title of nobihty or honor ; or shall, without the consent 
of congress, accept and retain any present, pension, office or emol- 
ument of any kind whatever, from any emperor, king, prince, or 
foreign power, such person shall cease to be a citizen of the United 
States, and shall be incapable of holding any office of trustor profit 
under them or either of them. • 



No. IV. 

In 1784, Hugh White, esquire, removed with his family from 
Middletown, Connecticut, to Sedaghquate (now Whiteshorough) 
which till then had been the gloomy abode of wUd beasts and sav- 
age men. Judge White was the first who dared to overleap the 
German settlements on the Mohawk, and to encounter the hardships, 
privations ajid dangers of the western wilds. During the first four 
years of his establishment at Sedaghquate, the progress of the set- 
tlements around was slow and discouraging. In 1788, the town of 
German !Plats was divided, and a new town established, which, in 
honor of this enterprising man, was named fVhitestown. 

Whitestown then contained less than 200 inhabitants ; and in- 
cluded all that part of t'le state which now comprises the counties 
of Oneida, Lewis, Jefferson, St. Lawrence, Madison, Chenango, 
Broome, Tioga, Cortlandt, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca, Ontario, 
Steuben, Alleghany, Genesee, Niagara, Cataraugus and Chatauque. 
Those counties, according to the census of 1810, at that time, con- 
tained 280,319 inhabitants.* 



No. V. 

lAst of the governors and lieutenant-governors of the colony and 
state of J^few York, with the time of their appointment. 



DUTCH GOVERNORS. 

Peter Minuit, A. D. 1625. 

Wouter Van Twiller, 1633. 

William Kieft, 1638. 

Peter Stuyvesant, 1647. 

Anthony Colve, governor during the temporary possession of 
the Dutch, from Oct. 1673 to Feb. 1674. 

• Obituary notice of Judge White, published in the Utica Patriot, 1812. 



APPENDIX. 449 

ENGLISH GOVERNORS. 

Richard Nichols, 1664. 

Francis Lovelace, 1667. 

Edward Andros, 1674. 

Anthony Brockholst, 1681. 

Thomas Dongan, 1682. 

Francis Nicholson, lieut 1688. 

Jacob Leisler, : 1689. 

Henry Sloughter, 1691. 

Richard Ingolsby, president, 1692. 

Benjamin Fletcher, governor, 1692. 

Richard earl of Bellomont, 1698. 

John Nanfan, lieut. acted, 1701. 

Lord Cornbury arrived, 1702. 

John, lord Lovelace, baron of Husley, 1708. 

Richard Ingolsby, lieut. acted, '. 1709. 

Gerandus Beekman, president, 1710. 

Robert Hunter, governor, 1710. 

Peter Schuyler, president, 1719. 

William Burnet, governor, 1720. 

James Montgomery, 1728. 

Rip Van Dam, president, 1731. 

William Crosby, governor, 1732. 

George Clarke, president, 1736. 

Mr. Clarke soon after appointed lieutenant-governor, . . . . , 1736. 

George Clinton, 1743. 

Danvers Osborn, , 1753. 

James De Lancey, lieutenant-governor, 1753. 

Sir Charles Hardy, governor, 1755. 

James De Lancey, lieutenant-governor, 1757. 

Cadwallader Colden, president, , . . 1760. 

Mr. Colden, appointed lieutenant-governor, 1761. 

Robert Monckton, governor, 1762. 

Mr. Colden, lieutenant-governor, 1763. 

Henry Moore, governor, 1765. 

Mr. Colden, lieutenant-governor, 1769. 

John earl of Dunmore, governor, 1770. 

William Tryon, governor, 1771. 

Mr. Colden, lieutenant-governor, acted, 1771. 

William Tryon, governor, 1775. 

38* 



450 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

STATE GOVERNORS. 

George Clinton, 1777. 

John Jay, 1795. 

George Clinton, 1801. 

Morgan Lewis, 1804. 

Daniel D. Tompkins, 1807. 

John Taylor, lieutenant-governor, 1817. 

De Witt Clinton, ■ 1817. 

Joseph C. Yates, 1822. 

De Witt Clinton, 1824. 

Joshua Pitcher, lieutenant-governor from the death of Mr. 

Clinton, Feb. 1828 to Jan. 1829. 

Martin Van Buren from January to March, vacancy by re- 
signation, 1829, 

£nos Troop, lieutenant-governor, succeeded Mr. Van 
Buren, March 1829. 



APPENDIX. 451 



APPEIVDIX. 

No. IV. 

NOTES RESPECTING THE ENGRAVINGS. 

The portraits of Hamilton and Clinton are introduced, as 
it is believed every individual will wish to possess the linea- 
ments of these great men. 

The VieiD near West Point, is esteemed one of the most 
beautiful scenes in this or any other country. It is rendered 
doubly interesting as being in the vicinity of the National 
Military Academy. — Every person who has passed up or 
down the Hudson has undoubtedly marked this spot. An 
engraving of it is therefore given, as being likely to recall a 
beautiful part of the scenery of this State, to the memory 
of many individuals. 

The View of the Mountain House on the Kattskill moun- 
tains can need no apology. This place is the favorite resort 
of travellers during the summer, and is 'justly ranked among 
the most remarkable spots on the globe. '^^' 

The Likeness of Mr. Va?i Buren can be no less accepta- 
ble at the present time. Holding one of the first stations 
under the General Government, and now ranked among the 
master spirits of the nation, it is no more than due to his high 
standing thus to give him a respectful notice in a history of 
his native State. A brief memoir is subjoined, which will 
exhibit the leading features of his biography. 



452 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 



LIFE OF MARTIN VAN BUREN. 



Martin Van Buren was the second son of Abraham 
Van Buren of Kinderhook, in the county of Columbia, and 
State of New-York. He was born at that place on the 5th 
of December, 1782. His parents were both of Dutch 
descent, and his ancestors were among the earliest settlers 
oS Kinderhook. 

In early life, Mr. Van Buren is said to have evinced indi- 
cations of superior talents ; aside from this we know but 
little of his early history. About the age of fourteen, 
however, he entered the office of a respectable practitioner 
of the law at Kinderhook, and du-ring his course of study, he 
spent some months in the office of William P. Van Ness, 
Esq. a distinguished Counsellor of the city of New York. 
The superior advantages which offered during his residence 
in that city, were eagerly embraced ; apt in the attainment, 
and ardent in the pursuit of knowledge, he employed the 
few months he remained there in a diligent and profitable 
prosecution of his studies. 

In 1803 he commenced the business of his profession in 
the place of his nativity ; in November of that year, he was 
licensed as an attorney, and early in the year 1807 he was 
admitted as a counsellor, in the supreme court. 

In the county in which Mr. Van Buren resided, the politi- 
cal party to which he was attached was at that time in the 
minority ; — he was without fortune, and almost without pat- 
ronage. Great political excitements were at the same time 
agitating the State, and he was of course an object of hostil- 
ity to the dominant party. But these circumstances to him 



LIFE OF MARTIN VAN BUREN. 453 

were not appalling. He was an aspirant for distinction ; 
and although he was at that time surrounded by a powerful 
array of talent at the bar, and in the field of political contro- 
versy, his own abilities enabled him to force his way through 
the fearful array of difficulties which were opposed to him ; 
and it was not long before he was able to contend, on high 
and equal grounds, with the most formidable of his opponents. 
*During the year 1809, Mr. Van Buren removed to the city 
of Hudson, where he continued to reside until 1816. During 
his residence in that place, he attained high eminence at the 
bar, and dividing, with a distinguished and able advocate of 
Hudson, the business of their profession in the county, for 
several years ; during which time, and notwithstanding their 
political collisions, a chivalric rivalry existed between the two 
champions at the bar, which was conducted in a spirit of 
unbounded liberality and confidence. In the mean time he 
was admitted to the higher courts, where he practised with 
success and reputation. In February, 1 815, he was appoint- 
ed Attorney General of the State. This appointment, to- 
gether with an extending practice at the bar, induced him to 
remove to Albany, the year following ; where he deservedly 
ranked high among the luminaries of his profession. 

In 1812, he was for the first time a candidate for an election 
office ; that of a State Senator for the then middle district. 
His opponent was Edward W. Livingston, Esq. a man of 
superior talents. Mr. Van Buren, however, was the success- 
ful candidate, after an arduous struggle on the part of his 
friends, and was elected by a majority of less than two hun- 
dred, out of twenty thousand votes. 

In September, 1814, the legislature was convoked by the 
executive, with the view of aiding the administration in the 
prosecution of the war. Of the doings of this legislature, 

* In 1808, after the election of Mr. Tompkins as Governor, he was 
appointed surrogate of the county, an office which he held until Feb- 
ruary, 1813, when he was removed. 



454 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

in addition to acts making appropriation of money, the most 
prominent were the acts "to authorise the raising of troops 
for the defence of the State," and to "encourage privateering 
associations." These bills were each supported by Mr. 
Van Buren and were both passed : but the first and most 
important was peculiarly his measure, it having been matured 
and introduced by him. ^ 

In 1816 he was re-elected to the Senate, previous to which 
he had been appointed by the legislature as Regent of the 
University. He remained in the Senate till his term of ser- 
vice expired, which was in 1820. 

From the commencement of Mr. Van Buren's legislative 
course to the close of it, he was a distinguished leader of 
his party, and was a decided supporter of measures connect- 
ed with the great interests of the State, — particuiarly of those 
plans of internal improvement, which have since conferred 
on the State by which they have been executed, such imper- 
ishable honor. In February, 1821, he was appointed a 
Senator to the Congress of the United States. 

In the interval between his appointment as a Senator, and 
the next session of Congress, a convention was held to 
amend the Constitution of the State. Mr. Van Buren, who 
had warmly advocated this measure, especially in reference 
to the extension of the right of suffrage, was unexpectedly 
returned to it by the republican electors of Otsego, as a mem- 
ber from that county, although he was at that time a resident 
of Albany. — His speeches on the various questions submit- 
ted to the convention, were published in the report of the 
proceedings of that body, and are among the ablest in the 
volume. 

He took his seat in the Senate of the United States in 
December, 1821, and was re-elected in 1827 to the same 
station. In the Senate of the State he showed himself an 
able and sagacious legislator, and in the Senate of the Uni. 
ted States where his sphere of action was greatly extended. 



LIFE OF MARTIN VAN BUREN. 455 

and the subjects of deliberation proportionably difficult and 
complicated, he displayed a reach and comprehension of 
intellect, a degree of practical wisdom and enlightened fore- 
cast, which entitle him to the appellation and honors of a 
statesman. As a ready and successful debater he had few 
superiors. Several of his speeches, particularly those in 
favor of the bill abolishing imprisonment for debt, and in sup- 
port of the recent laws making provision for the officers of 
the revolution, have been ranked among the first specimens 
of eloquence ever heard in the Senate. 

He took a leading part in the presidential election of 1824, 
and the canvass which preceded it, and gave Mr. Crawford 
his vigorous support. 

"With the electors of President and Vice-President for the 
State of New York, a Governor was also to be chosen to 
succeed the distinguished and lamented Clinton. Mr. Van 
Buren consented to become a candidate for the office, and 
was subsequently elected. He entered on the duties of this 
high trust, on the 1st of January, 1829, and on the Oth, 
transmitted to the legislature the annual message, a docu- 
ment equally creditable to the State and the author He ad- 
ministered the government until the 12th of March following, 
when he resigned in consequence of his appointment as 
Secretary of State of the United States. Resolutions ex- 
pressive of the " highest respect for bis virtues and talents," 
and tendering to him the congratulations of the representa- 
tives of the people, with " their earnest wish, that he might 
enjoy a full measure of happiness and prosperity, in the new 
sphere of public duty to which he was about to be remov- 
ed," were passed by both branches of the legislature. The 
like sentiments were expressed, in terms still more flattering 
and affectionate, by a part of the members, who transmitted 
him a communication on the eye of his departure, in which^ 
after expressing ^' their attachment to his person, their 
respect for his character, and their regret at the separation 
which was about to to take place," they tendered him their 



456 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

acknowledgements, " for the numerous and important servi- 
ces which he had rendered to the State, particularty in sus- 
taining those political principles which they believed to be 
most intimately blended with its highest and dearest 
interests." 

Immediately after his resignation as Governor of New- 
York, he repaired to the post assigned him by the President, 
since which he has arduously devoted himself to its laboricfas 
and important duties. 






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United States 

Department of State 

Library 



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